Steelers should be absolutely fine with historic rival recruiting Najee Harris

The Pittsburgh Steelers are ready to part ways with Najee Harris after declining his fifth-year option. It makes sense from a financial standpoint, but if the Dallas Cowboys or even the Cincinnati Bengals are any indication, the Steelers should be cautious about parting ways with Harris without having a backup plan in place. 

That said, with everything pointing toward the Steelers having a new feature back of the 2025 season, one player didn’t waste any time trying to win over Harris and lure him out west. 

“I’d love to have a guy like Najee around,” Maxx Crosby said, per a Sports Illustrated story. “Selfishly, he could come to Vegas all day.”

Not only does Crosby’s recruitment highlight how much influence he could have in getting Harris to Las Vegas, but also adding another weapon as the Raiders look to rebuild for 2025. 

Najee Harris might be Pittsburgh’s trash, but it could end up being Las Vegas’ treasure

While Harris has regressed since his rookie season, he’s still a productive back who could change an offense. He finished his fourth-straight 1,000-yard rushing season. Sure he wasn’t as impactful, but truthfully that’s probably more on offensive coordinator Arthur Smith. 

The offense regressed as a whole for the Steelers over the course of the season. Russell Wilson looked like he did at the end of his time in Seattle and in Denver in the last month of the season. They lost five straight, including a wild card loss to the Baltimore Ravens. 

During that stretch, Harris had one game over 50 rushing yards and two games with more than 10 carries. Before the Steelers’ losing streak, he had one game with less than 14 carries and less than 50 yards and it was the same game, against the Indianapolis Colts. 

So I blame Smith more than I do Harris’ ability to produce. And that’s something the Raiders will find a way to utilize. 

He only had three games this season with over 100 rushing yards, but was otherwise a good option out of the backfield. The biggest problem wasn’t his production as much as he wasn’t as strong of a red zone threat as he could have been. 

The other problem with his time in Pittsburgh is he wasn’t utilized more as a receiver out of the backfield. I think the Steelers deserve more blame for Harris’s production than Harris himself. 

For the Raiders, since they parted ways with Josh Jacobs, they’ve needed a new feature back. What Harris can provide is a stable running game. He also addresses a major need for a team that was ranked last in rushing yards. 

Crosby is making the pitch for Harris. And if the Steelers can’t see his value, the Raiders should. Addressing the running back position is the next step in their long road to rebuilding. The quarterback will obviously be the biggest need, but taking care of the running game is important as well.