San Francisco 49ers among teams named as potential trade destinations for RB Najee Harris

The San Francisco 49ers have been mentioned in a lot of trade rumors throughout the course of the NFL offseason. From Brandon Aiyuk to Deebo Samuel, they have seen an endless number of rumors. So far, John Lynch and the front office have opted to stand pat and not making any moves on the trade market.

Could that change at some point? Might the 49ers decide to move on from one of their wide receivers?

Anything is possible in the business of the NFL.

Recently in the NFL rumor mill, the trade availability of Pittsburgh Steelers running back Najee Harris has come up. While they may not actually be interested in moving him, there have been rumors that suggest he could be or become available.

CBS Sports compiled a list of some teams that could look into a trade for Harris. On that list was the San Francisco 49ers.

“This makes a lot of sense for both teams. The Steelers have reportedly been trying to acquire either Brandon Aiyuk or Deebo Samuel. The 49ers could use a running back who can take some of the load off Christian McCaffrey. Making this scenario even more plausible is the fact that Harris grew up on the West Coast, so this would be a homecoming of sorts.”

Would A Trade For Najee Harris Make Sense For The San Francisco 49ers?

Honestly, this would be a very intriguing move for the 49ers. Being able to take some pressure off of McCaffrey would be a big positive for them. He dealt with some nagging injury issues during the 2023 season and adding a talent like Harris could help him stay much more health and fresh for the playoffs.

Moving on from Aiyuk would make sense as well. It seems unlikely that the 49ers are going to change their mind and pony up the money to give him a long-term extension. The Steelers were reportedly very interested in trying to work out a trade for Aiyuk.

How would Harris fit with the 49ers? He could immediately come in and form a dual-threat backfield with McCaffrey. Harris has a very similar kind of big-play ability, so Kyle Shanahan would have many more options while not overloading his superstar running back McCaffrey.

During the 2023 season with the Steelers, Harris ended up carrying the football 255 times for 1,035 yards and eight touchdowns. He also caught 29 passes for 170 yards.

A swap involving both Harris and Aiyuk could make a lot of sense for the 49ers and Steelers. For San Francisco, everything would depend on what else is involved in the deal. The 49ers would need more value, as Aiyuk is a much bigger piece than Harris at this point in time.

While this is just an opinion, the 49ers could be an intriguing team to monitor when it comes to the trade availability of Najee Harris.