Eagles defensive tackle Javon Hargrave reportedly will sign with the 49ers, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
Schefter reports that the four-year agreement will be worth $84 million with $40 million guaranteed.
Hargrave, 30, has his best season in 2022. He had a career-high 11 sacks and 60 tackles. He was a tower of strength in the middle of the line, stopping the run and pressuring the quarterback.
We wrote about Hargrave last week and the opportunities he likely would have in free agency and his importance to the Eagles. We characterized Hargrove as the most important defensive free agent. The link: https://www.iggles.com/eagles-2023-hargrave0306/
Hargrave’s reported departure opens a wide door for 2022 first-round draft pick Jordan Davis. He started five games and played in 13, making 18 tackles.
This is the exact circumstance for which Davis was drafted. The talented nose tackle, the 13th overall draft pick, has an opportunity to solidify the Eagles’ interior defense.
Milton Williams and Marlon Tuipulotu are young players who also should take on larger roles without Hargrave. They can parlay this opportunity to a starting and starring role on the line.
- “He’s just an awesome guy to be around,” Eagles coach Nick Sirianni said about Hargrave last month.
- “He’s a great teammate – and he’s quiet, but he’s a quiet leader – but a great teammate, a great person, and a great player. You want to try to get as many guys back as you can, but knowing that that’s not always possible …
- “I have my input just like we talked about, and we’ll see what happens. But I love Javon Hargrave.”
Free agency begins at 4 p.m. Wednesday. Teams could talk to agents starting at noon Monday. Schefter’s tweet reporting the Hargrave agreement was at 1:19 p.m.
