Mike Tomlin may have resigned from his position at the Pittsburgh Steelers, but tales of his time with the Steelers are still floating around. The Los Angeles Chargers’ running back Najee Harris could have been with the Steelers in 2025, but something stopped him. According to the RB, it was a strong suggestion from the team’s former head coach, Mike Tomlin, that suppressed any chances of his return. The admission came just days after the Chargers failed to make it past the Wild Card round against the Patriots.

“Man, if I’m not coming back, tell me. If I am, tell me, you know, I mean, I don’t really want to do all the antics, man,” Najee Harris said, remembering his conversation with Tomlin.

The 27-year-old further unveiled the response that he received from Tomlin. He mentioned how the former HC gave him advice, asking him to ignore any thoughts of stepping back.

“Naj, I always talk to you not as a player, but as if you are my son,” Harris added, reiterating Tomlin’s response on the phone call. “But if you was my son, I would tell you not to come back here.”

Harris left the Pittsburgh Steelers in free agency after the 2024 season, after his rookie contract expired and the team declined his fifth-year option. This made him a free agent in March 2025. He later signed a one-year deal with the Los Angeles Chargers for the 2025 season, worth about $5.25 million with up to $4 million in incentives.

On paper, Najee Harris gave the Pittsburgh Steelers every reason to commit long-term. He never missed a single game, became the first running back since 2008 to rush for 1,000 yards in each of his first four NFL seasons, and was one of just three players since 2021 to clear 4,000 rushing yards while also piling up more than 1,100 receiving yards. Which is exactly why eyebrows were raised last year when Pittsburgh chose not to pick up Harris’ 2025 fifth-year option.

Though Harris thought of giving another shot to his partnership with the Steelers, Tomlin’s transparency made it clear it wasn’t the best option. Harris’s play style didn’t align with the offense under new coordinator Arthur Smith, and Pittsburgh, as a result, probably wouldn’t have offered a strong contract. Harris instead signed with the Los Angeles Chargers, but his time there was hindered by a torn Achilles, marking an end to his season.

Speaking to KCAL, Najee Harris had earlier also opened up about one of the most defining shifts of his Steelers tenure. The Pro Bowl running back reflected on the transition from longtime franchise quarterback Ben Roethlisberger to Kenny Pickett, admitting it was never going to be seamless for an offense built around a veteran presence.

Najee Harris previously called out the Steelers’ offensive identity crisis

Najee Harris did not hold back when reflecting on his final years in Pittsburgh. The former Steelers running back painted a picture of an offense searching for answers after Ben Roethlisberger’s departure. Harris admitted the unit lacked both identity and direction, describing a young locker room with no true offensive veterans to lean on as Kenny Pickett stepped into the spotlight.

“It was just a team where we lost Ben, we lost the O-line, we just didn’t know anything on offense really, we didn’t have any identity,” Harris said, speaking to KCAL’s Chris Hayre. “We had a young guy coming in at QB. I was young. The team was young. I really didn’t have nobody to almost learn from on the offensive side. I think the veteran guy on that team was a two, three-year vet. And he’s still learning himself.”

That absence, Harris suggested, stalled growth. With a rebuilt offensive line, an inexperienced quarterback, and few mentors on his side of the ball, he said he was often forced to learn on his own, even turning to defensive teammates for guidance. The contrast, in his words, is stark. In Los Angeles, Harris sees leadership across the offense, starting with his counterpart in age, an experienced Justin Herbert.

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Harris’ 2025 season turned out to be unfortunate. Troubles began with an eye injury from a fireworks accident that cost him most of training camp. The RB later suffered an Achilles injury during a week 3 clash against the Denver Broncos, which eventually marked an end to his season with the Chargers. Harris could now become a free agent again, with no renewal reported as of yet with the Chargers.