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Mike Tomlin Told Najee Harris to Leave Steelers
In his last offseason at the helm with the Pittsburgh Steelers, Mike Tomlin had the personal interest of one of the team’s former first-round picks in mind.
During an appearance on Marshawn Lynch and Mike Robinson’s “Get Got” podcast, Najee Harris revealed that Tomlin encouraged him to leave the Steelers in free agency as a result of the connection the pair developed over their four years together.
“We was chopping it up for like 10, 20 minutes about some random stuff. And then, we was like, alright, we gotta talk about business now… And so I was like, ‘Hey, man, what’s up though?’ He said, ‘Najee, I always talk to you not as if you are a player, but as if you are my son’… He was like, ‘If you was my son, I would tell you not to come back here.’ I was like, ‘Alright, bet,’” Harris said. “It wasn’t no hard feelings or nothing like that.”
Harris heeded Tomlin’s advice and ended up heading back to his home state of California, signing a one-year deal with the Los Angeles Chargers worth $5.250 million that also included up to $4 million in incentives.
The 27-year-old, however, sustained an eye injury during a fireworks accident at a Fourth of July gathering that landed him on the non-football injury (NFI) list. He was later activated ahead of Week 1 and appeared in three games for the Chargers, rushing for 61 yards before suffering a season-ending Achilles injury in Week 3.
Harris’ Steelers Career
A 2021 first-round pick out of Alabama, Harris remained with the organization through the 2024 campaign.
He appeared in 68 games over that stretch while posting 4,312 yards and 28 touchdowns on 1,097 attempts. Harris also racked up 1,149 yards and four scores through the air on 180 catches.
His rushing yard total was the fifth-most in the league during his stint in Pittsburgh, while his reception total was seventh among all running backs over that same period of time.
How Steelers’ RBs Fared Without Harris
Jaylen Warren, who largely played second fiddle to Harris throughout their three seasons together, signed a two-year extension worth $11.904 million with the Steelers before the 2025 campaign began. He went on to run for a career-high 958 yards and six touchdowns while adding 333 yards and two scores on 40 catches.
Pittsburgh selected Kaleb Johnson in the third round of the 2025 NFL Draft, but he barely saw the field and finished his rookie year with 69 rushing yards across 28 carries.
Kenneth Gainwell, meanwhile, was a revelation for the Steelers, as he closed out the season with 1,023 yards and eight touchdowns from scrimmage on 187 touches after signing a one-year contract with the team in free agency.
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Vegas Golden Knights (28-17-14, in the Pacific Division) vs. Pittsburgh Penguins (30-15-13, in the Metropolitan Division)
Pittsburgh; Sunday, 1 p.m. EST
BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Golden Knights -149, Penguins +125; over/under is 6.5
BOTTOM LINE: The Pittsburgh Penguins and the Vegas Golden Knights square off in a non-conference matchup.
Pittsburgh has a 14-8-7 record at home and a 30-15-13 record overall. The Penguins have scored 197 total goals (3.4 per game) to rank 10th in NHL play.
Vegas is 28-17-14 overall and 14-9-7 in road games. The Golden Knights are 27-6-8 in games they score at least three goals.
Sunday’s game is the first meeting between these teams this season.
TOP PERFORMERS: Anthony Mantha has 21 goals and 23 assists for the Penguins. Benjamin Kindel has six goals and one assist over the last 10 games.
Mark Stone has 21 goals and 38 assists for the Golden Knights. Pavel Dorofeyev has seven goals and three assists over the past 10 games.
LAST 10 GAMES: Penguins: 7-1-2, averaging 4.2 goals, 7.1 assists, 3.3 penalties and 6.9 penalty minutes while giving up 2.5 goals per game.
Golden Knights: 4-4-2, averaging 3.5 goals, 5.8 assists, 2.6 penalties and 5.8 penalty minutes while giving up 3.3 goals per game.
INJURIES: Penguins: None listed.
Golden Knights: None listed.
___
The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
PITTSBURGH — Oneil Cruz needs to have a great season for the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2026 and his strong Spring Training continued in their most recent victory.
Cruz hit a three-run home run off of Houston Astros right-handed pitcher Jayden Murray in the top of the fifth inning, playing a big role in the 5-2 victory at CACTI Park of the Palm Beaches in West Palm Beach, Fla.
He waited on a changeup on the second pitch, 85.1 mph over the middle of the plate and sent it 106.4 mph off the bat and 368 feet, scoring both left fielder Billy Cook and third baseman Alika Williams with two outs.
That marks the first home run for Cruz in the Grapefruit League, who has had a great Spring Training so far, slashing .538/.600/.846 for an OPS of 1.446 in five games, with seven hits in 13 at-bats.
Pittsburgh got the win after the top of the sixth inning, after a rain delay ended the game.
Pirates Rookie Pitchers Have Up-And-Down Showing vs. Astros
Right-handed pitcher Braxton Ashcraft made his second start for the Pirates in the Grapefruit League and dominated vs. the Astros.
Ashcraft threw three scoreless innings, allowing just one hit and a walk, while posting two strikeouts for Pittsburgh.
Former Pirates pitcher, right-handed starter Mike Burrows, countered Ashcraft for the Astros. He threw three scoreless innings himself, allowed one hit and a walk and posted four strikeouts.
The Pirates traded Burrows to the Houston Astros in the three-team trade with the Tampa Bay Rays on Dec. 19, that landed them second baseman Brandon Lowe, outfielder Jake Mangum and left-handed relief pitcher Mason Montgomery.
Right-handed pitcher Bubba Chandler made his second appearance for the Pirates in the Grapefruit League and threw two innings.
Chandler immediately loaded the bases, walking both third baseman Carlos Correa and first baseman Christian Walker, then giving up a single to center fielder Cam Smith.
He came back and struckout right fielder Taylor Trammell and got left fielder Zach Dezenzo to pop out, but gave up a single to second baseman Brice Matthews and a run to the Astros, before ending the inning with a strikeout.
Chandler also gave up a solo home run to Astros third baseman Isaac Paredes, on a slider down in the zone.
He finished his outing with three hits, three walks and two earned runs allowed over 1.1 innings pitched, before left-handed pitcher Derek Diamond got the last two outs of the inning.
Chandler struggled in his first Spring Training start vs. the New York Yankees at LECOM Park in Bradenton on Feb. 23, where he allowed four earned runs over 1.2 innings of work.
The Pirates will need better showings from Chandler, who should serve as a key piece of their starting rotation in 2026.
Other Important Notes from Pirates Victory
The Pirates added two runs in the top of the sixth inning, as Cook hit a single that scored second baseman Nick Yorke and then Williams singled, scoring Cook to make it a 5-2 ball game.
Cook had just one hit in eight at-bats coming into this game and scored twice in the victory, as he walked before the Cruz home run.
Designated hitter Marcell Ozuna led the Pirates with two hits, a good sign for them, as they’ll rely on him greatly for his power and hitting in 2026.
The Pirates are now 7-2 in the Grapefruit League and tied with the Yankees for the top of the standings.
Make sure to visit Pirates OnSI for the latest news, updates, interviews and insight on the Pittsburgh Pirates!
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