A workout on Monday, a deal on Tuesday
Najee Harris has agreed to a one-year contract with the New York Giants, NFL Network reported. He worked out for the club on Monday and the deal followed within a day, with the head coach telling reporters afterwards that Harris had looked good in the session.
The speed of it says something about where both sides are. Harris has been a free agent through the summer. The Giants are three weeks from the season opener and had not addressed a running back room that already looks crowded.
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Four straight 1,000-yard seasons, then an Achilles
The numbers behind the signing are unusual for a player available in the third week of August. Harris rushed for at least 1,000 yards in each of his first four seasons with Pittsburgh after arriving as the 24th overall pick in the 2021 draft, and he made the Pro Bowl as a rookie. In 2024 he ran for 1,043 yards with six touchdowns and added 36 receptions for 283 yards.
Very few backs manage four consecutive 1,000-yard years to open a career. Fewer still reach the open market at 28 without a guaranteed role waiting. The gap is explained by last season, when a torn Achilles ended his year with the Chargers after three games.
Where he fits, or does not
New York list Cam Skattebo and Tyrone Tracy Jr. as co-starters, with Devin Singletary also on the roster. Adding a fourth veteran back to that group is not obviously a plan. It is more likely an insurance policy against a training camp that has already cost the league a long list of ball carriers.
Harris himself framed the move around proving a point. On a one-year deal with no guarantees beyond this season, the arithmetic is simple. A productive autumn in the NFC East puts him back in a very different negotiating position next spring. A quiet one probably ends the conversation.
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