Former Pittsburgh Steelers running back, Najee Harris, had choice words for the organization since departing to play for the Los Angeles Chargers. In a recent press conference for the Chargers, Harris seemingly took a shot at the Steelers' training facilities, a common criticism of the team. Later, Harris went on to say in another interview that the team had no identity on offense and that he had no one to learn from as a rookie.
Harris' comments on his former organization are troubling, and have caused fans and analysts to reflect on if his criticism of the Steelers was fair. Many feel that Harris is ungrateful for the opportunities he was given, especially considering the success the team had during Harris' time with them.
When discussing Harris' comments on ESPN's Get Up, former NFL linebacker Bart Scott called out the running back.
"You ungrateful dude," said Scott. "Listen, how fortunate is it for you to be in the playoffs every year of your career? That doesn't just happen. And when you leave sometimes, you realize how good you had it."
One caveat to what Scott said is that Harris made the playoffs all but once in his career, not every time. However, that discrepancy doesn't take away from the size of Harris' achievements with the Steelers. Scott spoke for many Steelers fans in his response to Harris.
How Will Harris Do In Los Angeles Versus His Time In Pittsburgh?
After his harsh criticism of his last team, despite all the success he had with them, Harris will need to be a standout player with the Chargers to be able to justify leaving Pittsburgh. If Harris' tenure with the Chargers is underwhelming, it would be a bad look for the running back, and all his comments slamming the Steelers will come back to haunt him.
"Now he's going to a place that maybe has their future quarterback, but it's going to be a similar philosophy, as the Chargers are trying to build their team, bringing over Mekhi Becton, to be a team that focuses on the run game and not really throw a lot, similar in play grade defense," said Scott. "That's how [Jim] Harbaugh builds his team, similar to how Mike Tomlin builds his team."
It's possible Harris saw the similarities Scott is talking about between the Chargers and Steelers' play styles. He may think that those similarities can mean a smooth transition from one organization to another, and that he will have just as much if not more success with his new team. Whatever the case, Harris' smack talk has only raised the expectations for his performance with the Chargers next year, and given him little room for error.
One part of Scott's response to Harris stands out the most. It's that you don't always know how good you have it until looking back. Harris has always been with a team that is at least a playoff contender. While the Chargers did finish the regular season with one more win than the Steelers, they didn't fare any better in the playoffs. If the Steelers' luck were to improve, Harris could regret the switch. At the same time, many believe that the choice to leave Pittsburgh was never Harris' decision to begin with.
From an outside perspective, it's hard to tell how much truth there is to Harris' complaints. Former Steelers quarterback Justin Fields also took a shot at Pittsburgh after leaving to play for the New York Jets. Fields said after signing with the Jets that New York's head coach and the fans of the team were his favorite part of his new organization, seemingly brushing off Mike Tomlin and Steelers fans.
Despite some similarities, one major advantage the Chargers have over the Steelers is a starting quarterback lined up for the 2025 season.
