With their 23-20 fourth-quarter comeback win over the Denver Broncos on Sunday, the Los Angeles Chargers based their record to 3-0 — the first time since 2002, when they were still located in San Diego, that the Chargers have remained undefeated through the first three weeks of the NFL season.
But even as they celebrated their historic start, the Chargers saw a dark cloud move in over their 2025 season the they were hit with catastrophic news about their premier offseason free agent signing, 27-year-old former Pittsburgh Steelers first-round draft pick Najee Harris.
According to a report Monday morning by Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network, Harris will miss the remainder of the 2025 season with a torn Achilles tendon.
He had an MRI last last night,” the veteran NFL insider said on the network’s Good Morning Football broadcast. “You always want the tests to come in. You always want to get all reactions. But I hate to say it, this was one where immediately you knew this was a serious, significant and likely season ending injury.”
Harris Collapses on 2nd-Quarter Play
As quarterback Justin Herbert went to hand the ball off to Harris on a play in the second quarter Sunday, the running back — who had gained at least 1,000 rushing yards in each of his first four NFL seasons after being drafted out of Alabama — the running back appeared to take a step and immediately crumple onto the field, without any contact from another player.
Many observers quickly identified the injury as a likely torn Achilles, as several high-profile athletes have suffered the same type of injury in recent months.
In the NBA playoffs, Boston Celtics superstar Jayson Tatum collapsed with a torn Achilles in Game Four of a conference semifinal series against the New York Knicks. Then in the NBA Finals, Indian Pacers star Tyrese Halliburton went down in an eerily similar scene, also the result of an Achilles tear.
In the NFL, Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson remains on the Phyically Unable to Play (PUP) list as he recovers from tearing his right Achilles for the second time.
Coach Confirms Achilles Injury
Hours before the MRI results on Harris were in, Chargers coach Jim Harbuagh confirmed that the running back – signed in March to a one-year, $9.25 million free agent contract with Los Angeles — had indeed suffered an Achilles injury.
“Harris went down and grabbed the back of his leg, and it immediately looked like an Achilles injury,” wrote Michael Davis Smith of Pro Football Talk late Sunday night. “Athletic trainers can almost always diagnose an Achilles injury accurately without needing imaging, and for a running back it is almost certainly a season-ending injury.”
According to CBS Sports injury analyst Marty Jaramillo, Harris suffered the tear when he took a step backward to start his run, often called a “negative step” — a technique used by athletes to gain acceleration when running — and one often seen in relation to Achilles injuries.
Tough Start to Season for Harris Already
Harris had already seen his possibly very brief Chargers tenure get off to a difficult start. He suffered an eye injury in a July 4 fireworks accident that at least temporarily put his Week One availability in question.
After he missed most of training camp due to the eye problem, the Chargers chose to elevate rookie Omarion Hampton over Harris on the running back depth chart. In three games, Harris had started each on the bench, and had been handed the ball only 15 times, gaining 61 yards and had not run for a touchdown.
Chargers Hit With Season-Altering News on Top Offseason Signing Najee Harris