Ex-Steelers RB Najee Harris Suffers Injury During July 4 ‘Incident’: Report

Former Pittsburgh Steelers running back Najee Harris’ 2025 offseason continued to take a turn for the worse on July 10, as ESPN NFL insider Adam Schefter reported on a July 4 injury “incident” that occurred over the holiday weekend.

“Statement from agent Doug Hendrickson on his client [Los Angeles] Chargers RB Najee Harris,” Schefter relayed. “‘Najee Harris was present at a 4th of July event where a fireworks mishap resulted in injuries to several attendees. Najee sustained a superficial eye injury during the incident, but is fully expected to be ready for the upcoming NFL season.’”

Fortunately, it appears Harris avoided suffering major injury, although others at the event weren’t so lucky.

In a follow-up article, ESPN reporter Kris Rhim noted that “one person was hospitalized after he lost fingers in the accident in Antioch, California, the San Francisco Chronicle reported, citing police.”

“Six men and a 13-year-old boy were injured when a firework exploded at an Antioch apartment complex over the Fourth of July weekend, police said Sunday, as detectives continued to investigate the blast,” the San Francisco Chronicle’s David Hernandez reported on July 6.

Continuing: “The man who lit the firework remained at a hospital in critical condition as of Sunday afternoon, Lt. William Whitaker said, adding that the man lost several fingers and suffered other injuries to his face and chest.”

Hernandez classified the cause of the explosion as a “high-grade firework.”

The San Francisco Chronicle also reported: “Paramedics took four of the men to a hospital, Whitaker said. Two others drove themselves to a hospital, and the boy declined medical treatment. All of the men were in their twenties, police said, and the extent of their injuries was unclear.”

Najee Harris’ Standing With Chargers Is Unclear After July 4 Injury

Rhim ended his article by stating that “the Chargers declined to comment” on this incident.

That deafening silence creates a lingering doubt ahead of training camp, especially after the franchise spent their first-round pick on fellow RB Omarion Hampton. After all, even if Harris is completely fine, the Chargers are likely not happy that one of their free agent signings just suffered a non-football injury over summer break.

Especially a veteran player like Harris, who is supposed to lead by example.

NFL teams always caution players as they head into the brief off-period between minicamp and training camp, urging them to put themselves in the right situations and compose themselves as they would when they’re inside the building.

That’s not to say Harris did anything wrong here, but he may have some explaining to do with his new franchise, nonetheless.

Ex-Steelers RB Najee Harris Trending Toward Career-Worst Season in 2025

Despite often being viewed as unspectacular during his time in Pittsburgh, Harris has never accumulated fewer than 1,000 rushing yards or 1,200 scrimmage yards since entering the NFL.

That feels likely to change in 2025.

Harris has kept this streak going mainly due to two reasons: Good health and a high volume of touches with the Steelers.

When the former first-round talent first inked a one-year deal with the Chargers, it looked like he might be in line for a similarly heavy workload once again. However, that changed when LAC drafted Hampton in round one.

Before this potential July 4 setback, there was a chance Harris might begin the 2025 campaign as the starter, then slowly cede snaps to Hampton. But even that could be less likely now.

Either way, barring a Hampton injury, Harris probably won’t carry the ball 250-plus times this season. That means outside of a significant uptick in yards per carry (career average of 3.9 YPC), the former Steelers RB1 is set up to have the worst season of his career in terms of production.