Najee Harris injury update: Chargers GM reveals RB’s status after scary fireworks incident

Two weeks after Los Angeles Chargers running back Najee Harris was injured in a Fourth of July fireworks explosion, his status for the beginning of training camp has been revealed.

Chargers general manager Joe Hortiz revealed that Harris will likely begin training camp on the NFI (Non-football injury and illness) list, per Daniel Popper of The Athletic. Harris has been receiving treatment from doctors at Stanford.

The incident occurred in the early morning hours July 5 in Antioch, California. Police said some injuries were treated at the scene while others were hospitalized. Bay Area News Group reported Harris went to John Muir Hospital in Concord for treatment before later going to Stanford Hospital.

Harris’ agent Doug Hendrickson confirmed the former Alabama star was present at the time of the explosion. He suffered a “superficial eye injury” and the expectation is he will be ready for the 2025 season.

“Najee Harris was present at a 4th of July event where a fireworks mishap resulted in injuries to several attendees,” Hendrickson said in a statement. “Najee sustained a superficial eye injury during the incident, but is fully expected to be ready for the upcoming NFL season.”

Harris is expected to be ready for the upcoming season

Six men and a 13-year-old boy were injured in the explosion, which occurred at an apartment complex, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.

Harris signed a one-year deal with the Chargers in free agency this offseason worth $9.25 million. He started his career with the Pittsburgh Steelers after they selected him with the No. 24 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft.

The Martinez, CA native topped 1,000 yards each season in Pittsburgh, including a career-best 1,200 yards as a rookie in 2021 to earn his lone Pro Bowl appearance. All told, he ran for 4,312 yards and 28 touchdowns with the Steelers while adding 1,149 receiving yards and six touchdowns in the air. The Steelers didn’t pick up his fifth-year option, which set him up for free agency this offseason as he joined Greg Roman’s offense with the Chargers.

“I think some questions regarding Najee Harris’ availability is fair,” NFL Network’s Rapoport said on July 14. “My understanding of where he stands is he is not expected to miss significant time. Now, there was a fireworks incident, it does sound like some damage — “superficial” was the word that his agent Doug Hendrickson used. But from what I understand, this will be someone on the field sooner rather than later and is not expected to miss games.”

The Chargers open the 2025 preseason against the Detroit Lions on July 31 in the NFL’s Hall of Fame game. Five weeks later, Los Angeles opens the regular season on September 5 against the reigning AFC Champion Kansas City Chiefs.

On3’s Nick Schultz contributed to this report.