Giants release Najee Harris, but no running back trade reported as Skattebo role shrinks

What is confirmed

No trade involving a New York Giants running back has been reported as of Wednesday evening. What exists is a run of commentary and speculation after the team released veteran back Najee Harris on Tuesday and cut sharply into the workload of second-year runner Cam Skattebo. ^{[1] [3]}

The Athletic's Jonathan Jones reported that the Giants were releasing Harris as they reconfigure their running back room, according to Steelers Depot's account of the reports. Harris had signed in mid-August and appeared in five games for New York. ^[3]

The Giants are 3-2-1, according to Yahoo Sports' coverage of the release. ^{[7] [1]}

Skattebo's reduced role

Skattebo opened the season as the lead back but fumbled four times in the first five games, ClutchPoints reported. In Sunday's 34-27 home loss to the New Orleans Saints he played six snaps and had no carries. ^[1]

Coach John Harbaugh did not describe it as a benching. Heavy reported that he said he dislikes splitting snaps among four backs, and that "somebody needs to step up" as the lead runner. Harbaugh also said carries are earned, per ESPN's Jordan Raanan as cited by Heavy. ^[4]

Harris started against the Saints but carried four times for two yards. He told reporters afterward the constant rotation made it hard to find a rhythm, a comment first reported by the New York Daily News' Pat Leonard, according to Steelers Depot. The Giants released him two days later. ^{[3] [1]}

Where the trade talk comes from

The trade conversation is mostly hypothetical. Heavy published a proposal on Wednesday in which the Giants would send Skattebo to the Buffalo Bills for a late-round pick. The piece is explicitly a pitch, not a report of negotiations. ^[2]

It does cite ESPN's Dan Graziano, who wrote Wednesday that the Giants "would also love to alter things at running back" and that the new coaching staff has "clearly soured" on Skattebo. Graziano suggested the team could add an outside player or give Tyrone Tracy Jr. a bigger role, per Heavy's summary. ^[2]

A separate ClutchPoints column urged the Giants to pursue Tennessee Titans back Tony Pollard for a 2027 sixth-round pick. The column attributed a report that Titans general manager Mike Borgonzi has rebuffed trade calls to unnamed reports, and the claim is not independently confirmed here. ^[1]

GMEN HQ argued that a split between Skattebo and the team is likely eventually but not necessarily before the deadline. ^[6]

What is not known

No source reviewed reports that the Giants have made or received a trade offer for Skattebo, Tracy or any other back. The reasons behind the sharp rise in searches for Giants running back trades were not stated in any of the reporting, and none of it mentions Saquon Barkley in a trade context this week. ^{[1] [2] [6]}

Skattebo is under team control through 2028 and missed most of last season with a serious leg injury, GMEN HQ noted. That contract status and his recent fumbling are the two facts most often cited in the speculation. ^[6]

What comes next

The NFL trade deadline is Nov. 10 at 4 p.m. ET, according to 6abc, leaving roughly three weeks for the Giants to act. Heavy's piece notes that if no trade materializes, the team could simply release Skattebo after the deadline, though that is the writer's scenario rather than reported intent. ^{[5] [2]}