Behind the Steel Curtain
For nearly the entirety of his 19-year coaching tenure with the Pittsburgh Steelers, Mike Tomlin has been referred to as a players’ coach. When Tomlin and the Pittsburgh brass elected to draft RB Najee Harris in 2021, the Alabama product also felt such a relationship.
Harris’ time with the black and gold can be looked upon fondly as the 6-foot-one ball carrier eclipsed 1,000 rushing yards in each of his four seasons. More importantly than the statistics on paper, the 27-year-old appreciates the time he has spent with Tomlin.
Sadly, in the 2025 offseason, the former 24th overall pick’s four-year rookie deal with Pittsburgh was up. With talented backer Jaylen Warren sitting behind Harris, it was time for the 34-career TD man to discover the path he would travel next.
Recently, Harris joined the “Get Got Pod,” hosted by Marshawn Lynch and Michael Robinson. Amid Tomlin’s decision to step down, the three began discussing the relationship that he and Harris had formed in the backs opening NFL years.
The current Los Angeles Charger began by saying he reached out to the Steelers’ head coach to get the answers he sought. When the one-time Super Bowl champion answered, he spoke honestly to Harris, not as a coach.
“He said, ‘Najee, I always talk to you not as if you are a player, but as if you are my son,’” Harris said in regards to Tomlin’s opening remarks. “‘If you was my son, I would tell you not to come back here’ [Pittsburgh]. I was like, alright bet. It wasn’t no hard feelings or nothing like that.”
While the former Steelers bell-cow did not reveal any further information, it is intriguing to try to decipher what Tomlin may have meant when he urged Harris not to return.
The one-time Pro Bowler comes off a disappointing season with the Chargers, one in which he was injured in just the third game. Unfortunately, Harris tore his Achilles and never got the chance to prove his worth in Los Angeles.
Now, with both Harris and Tomlin out of Pittsburgh, will the next bench boss be able to forge such a strong bond between coach and player?
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