49ers’ Javon Hargrave to Be Released; John Lynch Open to New Contract in Free Agency

Scott Polacek@@ScottPolacekFeatured Columnist IVJanuary 8, 2025

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If defensive tackle Javon Hargrave is going to remain with the San Francisco 49ers, it will have to be on a new contract.

San Francisco general manager John Lynch revealed Wednesday that the team is making Hargrave a post-June 1 cut this offseason, per ESPN’s Nick Wagoner. However, Lynch was also open to potentially bringing him back as a free agent.

“Would we be interested in having him (back)? Of course,” the general manager told reporters. “Is that something we’ve come to an agreement on and is it something that fits in our plans? We’ll see.”

This move does not come as a surprise, as Josh Alper of Pro Football Talk explained the 49ers restructured Hargrave’s contract in December to create this opportunity.

While the defensive tackle signed a four-year, $84 million deal with the NFC West team ahead of the 2023 campaign, the reworked contract clears up $2.85 million in space and allows the team to take a $7.375 million dead cap hit.

“It gives him an opportunity to go see what his market is,” Lynch said. “And it may include us.”

Hargrave surely won’t land the same type of deal on the open market this offseason, as he turns 32 years old in February and is coming off a torn triceps injury that limited him to three games during the 2024 campaign.

Still, the former Pittsburgh Steelers and Philadelphia Eagles player was one of the best defensive tackles in the league at his best and isn’t that far removed from his second Pro Bowl nod during the 2023 season.

NFL @NFLThe newest addition the @49ers defense, Javon Hargrave 😳 @Jay_MostWanted pic.twitter.com/ZUI0K1F2mo

He helped lead the 49ers to the Super Bowl that season behind 44 tackles, seven sacks and two passes defended in the regular season and another 10 tackles, one sack and one fumble recovery during the playoff run to the sport’s biggest stage.

The effort came after he posted a career-best 11 sacks in 2022.

While there are age and injury concerns with Hargrave at this point of his career, he is still a proven playmaker who brings a relatively high ceiling to the table for any team that is interested in signing him this offseason.

Perhaps the 49ers will be one of those teams.