Chargers Free Agent Might Just End Up With a Rival in the AFC West

Will a Chargers free agent end up with a rival for the second offseason in a row?

Najee Harris | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Los Angeles Chargers free agent Najee Harris has been on a surprising injury comeback tour. 

Harris, who tore his Achilles tendon last season during his one year with the Chargers, continues to post injury comeback updates on social media and looks great. 

Great news for Harris, who is still just 28 years old and, before last season, had never really missed time in the NFL (yes, Chargers fans rightfully bemoaned their franchise’s poor injury luck, too). 

But there’s a mixture of possible bad news for the Chargers in here, too. 

Harris, after all, might just wind up joining an AFC West rival when all is said and done on his trip to the free-agent market. 

Chargers free agent Najee Harris talking with teams

Najee Harris | Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images

At first, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reporting that Harris met with the Seattle Seahawks wasn't that big of a deal 

But as it turns out, Harris will also meet with the Las Vegas Raiders. 

Granted, a returning-from-injury Harris, who averages just 3.9 yards per carry on his career, probably won’t scare fans all that much. 

But there are layers to this if Harris joins the Raiders. It would provide the Raiders with a deeper rotation the Chargers have to deal with twice per season. And it would give Ashton Jeanty, the sixth-overall pick last year, a fantastic mentor on the depth chart. 

To their credit, the Chargers never seemed like a team that would realistically hope to have Harris back. They brought on Mike McDaniel as offensive coordinator and have steadily modernized the offense away from say, old-school-like backs such as Harris, who fit Jim Harbaugh and Greg Roman’s style. 

Omarion Hampton was a first-rounder who could use a veteran mentor, too. Kimani Vidal is one of the better backups in the entire NFL, quietly. And free-agent signing Keaton Mitchell is the versatile weapon for McDaniel who likely prevents other major additions. 

In the grade scheme of things, this is a little detail for the Chargers. But he’s one of their free agents right now and they probably wouldn’t mind if a guy who spent a year in the building signs outside of the AFC West.

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