Pat Freiermuth, a close teammate of Najee Harris during their time with the Pittsburgh Steelers, recently opened up about the running back’s departure from the team.
Although the two shared a strong bond as members of the 2021 draft class, their paths diverged after Harris’ fifth-year option was declined, leading to his exit from Pittsburgh via free agency.
Freiermuth’s comments came on The Christin Kuntz Podcast, where he discussed the departure of Harris, who had been a key figure in the Steelers’ offense.
Freiermuth expressed mixed feelings about Harris’ exit, revealing that while he supported Harris’ new opportunity, he didn’t agree with how he left Pittsburgh.
“It’s going to be tough, but I’m happy for [Harris] and his new opportunity,” Freiermuth said. “I didn’t agree with the way he went out. I called him about it, and we talked. Every guy is different…”
When asked about facing Harris in the future, Freiermuth had a more competitive tone, especially since the Steelers will play the Los Angeles Chargers, Harris’ new team, in the upcoming season.
“We play L.A. this year. You know he’s going to be running hard – but we’re going to be hitting him harder,” Freiermuth bluntly said.
Harris, who signed a one-year deal with the Chargers after leaving Pittsburgh, hasn’t been shy about expressing his frustrations with his time in the Steel City.
In an interview with KCAL News, Harris opened up about what he perceived as shortcomings during his Steelers tenure, including what he called a lack of leadership and support on the offensive side of the ball.
“We didn’t have any identity. We had a young guy coming in at QB. I really didn’t have nobody to almost learn from on the offensive side,” Harris said.
“The veteran guy on that team was a two-three year vet. He’s still learning himself. I’m coming in and looking to guys to pick their brain, and it was mostly defensive guys… so through the years, I learned a lot, but I learned it firsthand.”
“My time in Pittsburgh, it was a lot of learning things, a lot of learning experiences,” Harris continued. “Playing for Mike T, playing in that division, there were a lot of ways I didn’t even realize what the NFL was really about until I came to Pittsburgh.
“I don’t want to go into detail with it, but I feel there was a lot of stuff in my game where I could’ve elevated more and I could’ve did more. I feel like I just didn’t get it done. I feel like I was obviously missing something. … It was interesting years there, I’ll just say that. Interesting years.”
On top of his comments about the team’s leadership, Harris also seemed to take a shot at the Steelers’ facilities.
During his introductory press conference with the Chargers, he praised the team’s weight room, contrasting it with “other places.”
While Harris’ comments have stirred some tension, Freiermuth made it clear that while he disagreed with how his former teammate left, he remains focused on his own growth and the future of the Steelers.
What are your thoughts on Freiermuth’s response to Harris’ controversial comments???
