Los Angeles Chargers running back Najee Harris has been quite vocal about his time with the Pittsburgh Steelers during interviews with the L.A. media. In a recent one-on-one interview with CBS Los Angeles , Harris said he didn't really learn much from the offensive side in Pittsburgh.
'I think the veteran guy on that team was like a two, three-year vet. He's still learning himself. I'm coming in and I'm just trying to look for people to pick their brain, and it was just defensive guys," Harris said. "I'd go to the defensive guys and talk to them, but there wouldn't be too much they could tell me about an offensive thing. Through my years, I learned a lot that I only learned firsthand.
"We just didn't know anything on offense, really. We didn't have any identity. We had a young guy coming in at quarterback. I really didn't have nobody to almost learn from, on the offensive side."
Harris also gave an ambiguous answer about his time in Pittsburgh, stating that it was "interesting years there. I'll just say that."
"My time in Pittsburgh, it was a lot of learning things, a lot of learning experiences," Harris said . "Playing for Mike T, playing in that division, there were a lot of ways I didn't even realize what the NFL was really about until I came to Pittsburgh.
"I don't want to go into detail with it, but I feel there was a lot of stuff in my game where I could've elevated more and I could've did more. I feel like I just didn't get it done. I feel like I was obviously missing something. … It was interesting years there, I'll just say that. Interesting years."
Pittsburgh Steelers running back Najee Harris runs with the ball against the Los Angeles Chargers on Sept. 24, 2024. — Ed Thompson / Steelers Now
The Steelers drafted Harris with the No. 24 pick in the 2021 NFL Draft. Since then, Harris has rushed for 1,000 yards in each of his four seasons as a professional. This past season, he went for 1,043 yards and six touchdowns on 263 carries. Harris, Chris Johnson , Adrian Peterson , Clinton Portis and LaDainian Tomlinson a re the only RBs since 2000 to enter the NFL with four-straight 1,000-yard rushing seasons.
Despite taking his lumps, he was durable for the Steelers, having not missed a game for the team. It ultimately came down to a business decision for the two sides to part ways.
"Man, I've got a lot of respect for Naj. He's had, what, 1,000 yards every year he was in the league?" Steelers All-Pro defensive tackle Cam Heyward said on his Not Just Football podcast. "I think that is very underrated. And fans always wanted more but didn't understand the work Najee put in — one of the hardest workers. Sometimes, you gotta protect him from himself. But when it came to ball, Naj was always locked in. Great person. … I think he's going to have a bright future there. He's already a West Coast guy, so it feels like a match made in heaven."
The Steelers play the Chargers at SoFi Stadium in 2025.
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