The San Francisco 49ers are making one of the biggest moves of the early wave of free agency. CBS Sports NFL Insider Jonathan Jones reports the Niners are signing former Philadelphia Eagles defensive lineman Javon Hargrave to a four-year, $84 million contract. The deal contains $40 million in guaranteed money, per ESPN.
Hargrave, who turned 30 years old in February, is coming off of arguably the best season of his career, having finished 2022 with 11 sacks, 10 tackles for loss, and 16 quarterback hits from his position along the defensive interior. He was one of the lynchpins of the Eagles front that led the NFL in sacks and helped spur the team on its run to the Super Bowl.
Originally a third-round pick of the Pittsburgh Steelers back in 2016, Hargrave signed a three-year, $39 million deal with Philadelphia back in 2020. After playing out that deal, Hargrave is cashing in again, this time in an even bigger way.
Hargrave joins a San Francisco defensive front that is also one of the best in football. He will take up residence alongside Arik Armstead and Javon Kinlaw on the inside (assuming both are retained for the upcoming season), and help Nick Bosa get after the opposing quarterback.
The Niners lost defensive coordinator DeMeco Ryans to the Houston Texans earlier this offseason, but brought in former Carolina Panthers interim head coach Steve Wilks to lead the defense. He now gets to work with yet another talented player up front, adding to a unit that also includes Fred Warner, Dre Greenlaw, Charvarius Ward, Talanoa Hufanga, and more. The Niners should once again have one of the league's best defenses in 2023, which should help keep the team in contention no matter whether Trey Lance or Brock Purdy is under center for the offense.
