One way or another, the San Francisco 49ers’ running back room is going to look noticeably different in 2025.
With two of their former lead backs, Jordan Mason and Elijah Mitchell, both set to hit the open market, the 49ers could be on the lookout for new blood to add to an RBs room headlined by Christian McCaffrey and 2024 fourth-round pick Isaac Guerrero.
Could the 49ers look to the draft once more to add another piece to Kyle Shanahan’s offense? Sure, that’s not only possible but likely, but what about signing another veteran to pair up with CMC and Guerrero? Would John Lynch be willing to pull that team-build lever? Well, in the opinion of KNBR host and podcaster Larry Kruger, they should consider giving a call to Najee Harris, who could be an interesting RB2 option if the market is light.
“I don’t know what the running back market is gonna look like, and I don’t know the 49ers’ thinking, but I do know Najee Harris, and I know that he’s a Bay Area kid. I know he would love to play for the 49ers and I know the agent pretty well, Doug Henderickson. I love Najee as a power back. The 49ers might need a power element to punch it in inside the five,” Kruger said.
“I gotta think he’s gonna get more money than they can afford in free agency, but maybe not. I mean, he doesn’t have great numbers, and I don’t know, I’m not sure how the league views Najee and what kind of market he’s gonna have; what kind of market there’s going to be for running backs in a year where the draft is so deep at running backs. But I’ll tell ya, if they’re going to splurge for any offensive back, I love Najee Harris. I think Najee Harris could help the 49ers run the ball inside the five. I think he can be a power complement to McCaffry, and that could be really, really good.”
Now granted, some fans both in Pittsburgh and San Francisco may be shocked by the idea of Harris going from RB1 with the Steelers to a committee back in 2025, but Kruger actually makes some pretty good points. The 2025 NFL Draft is widely considered a veritable smorgasbord of interesting running back options, which could contract the market for average starting running backs looking to get paid. While Harris may still look to take the best offer from the highest bidder because of the nature of the position, if the market is slight, with only one-year deals offered up by would-be teams, who knows, maybe a year serving as the thunder to McCaffrey’s lightning could be a worthy offering, as it would allow him to highlight his talents, avoid a massive workload, and enter 2025 with an upgraded resume as a result.
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