REPORT: Raiders Continue to be Linked to Former Pro Bowl RB

The Las Vegas Raiders continue to be connected to Pittsburgh Steelers running back Najee Harris in NFL free agency.
Dec 1, 2024; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA;  Pittsburgh Steelers running back Najee Harris (22) runs in for the touchdown  during the second quarter against the Cincinnati Bengals at Paycor Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joseph Maiorana-Imagn Images
Dec 1, 2024; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers running back Najee Harris (22) runs in for the touchdown during the second quarter against the Cincinnati Bengals at Paycor Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joseph Maiorana-Imagn Images / Joseph Maiorana-Imagn Images
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The Las Vegas Raiders lost Josh Jacobs to free agency last March, and they entered 2024 without much of an answer at running back as a result.

The Raiders thought they could roll with Zamir White, but he proved to be a massive disappointment, and Ameer Abdullah and Alexander Mattison were just decent backups.

Yes, Sincere McCormick showed flashes during the second half of the season, but it seems risky to rely on him as the lead back heading into 2025.

As a result, Las Vegas may be very active in trying to and a halfback in free agency, and one name continues to surface as a possibility for the Silver and Black: Najee Harris.

Harris' contract with the Pittsburgh Steelers is expiring, so the former Pro Bowler is slated to hit the free-agent market in a month-and-a-half.

The 26-year-old has been linked to the Raiders multiple times, and now, Tyler Brooke of The 33rd Team has connected Harris to Las Vegas once again.

"Harris could be a logical fit for the Raiders," Brooke wrote. "They desperately need someone who can play the position after ranking dead last in yards before contact per rush and 31st in yards after contact. They also have $94 million in cap space, the second-most space of any NFL team, to sign some veterans."

Here's the issue, though: while Harris has posted over 1,000 yards in each of his first four NFL campaigns, he owns a lifetime average of just 3.9 yards per carry. Really, he is more of a volume back than anything else, and that may not exactly be what the Raiders need.

It's a rather thin free-agent market in terms of running back talent, so Harris may look to capitalize on that scarcity with a lucrative long-term deal.

If that ends up being the case, Las Vegas would likely be better off spending that money elsewhere and looking toward the NFL Draft to find a halfback.

The Raiders have a myriad of needs up and down the roster, so even though they have massive cap room, they will need to allocate their resources wisely.

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Matthew Schmidt
MATTHEW SCHMIDT

Matthew Schmidt is a sportswriter who covers NFL, MLB, NBA and college football and basketball. He has been writing professionally since 2011 and has also worked for Bleacher Report, FanRag Sports, ClutchPoints, NFLAnalysis.net and NBAAnalysis.net. He was born and raised in New Jersey and has a rather eclectic group of favorite teams: the Boston Celtics, New York Giants and Miami Marlins.