49ers add Hargrave to line; Raiders land Garoppolo
SANTA CLARA >> Defensive tackle Javon Hargrave, one of the NFL's top free agents, is coming to fortify the 49ers' perenially stout defensive line, at a steep cost.
Hargrave agreed to terms on a four-year, $84 million deal with $40 million guaranteed, as first reported by ESPN's Adam Schefter when the NFL's free agency window opened Monday morning.
The 49ers, through a team spokesman, are declining comment on free agency deals until Wednesday, which is when they first can become official with the start of the new league year.
The 49ers poached Hargrave from the Philadelphia Eagles, who beat the 49ers in the NFC Championship Game before falling in the Super Bowl to the Kansas City Chiefs.
Meanwhile, the 49ers bid adieu to a pair of former captains, with quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo heading to the Las Vegas Raiders and right tackle Mike McGlinchey to the Denver Broncos. Both exits were highly anticipated; Garoppolo-to-the Raiders was first reported by NFL Network, and ESPN first had McGlinchey's deal with Denver after speculating he would land in Chicago.
As Phase 1 of the 49ers' offseason makeover began Monday morning, they addressed their No. 1 priority in restocking their defensive line, for new coordinator Steve Wilks, who replaced DeMeco Ryans (Houston Texans coach).
Hargrave, 30, joins a defensive front that includes NFL Defensive Player of the Year Nick Bosa and ninth-year veteran Arik Armstead. Bosa is slated to make $17.8 million on a fifth-year option, but he's also expected to sign a contract extension this summer that could be the largest ever for a NFL defender; Armstead is owed $15.9 million in salary.
“Oh wow!! Bosa, javon and Erik?!! Damm,” tweeted Dallas Cowboys edge rusher Micah Parsons.
Hargrave figures to take over the starting spot on the interior that had been earmarked for Javon Kinlaw, a 2020 first-round draft pick whose career has been hindered by a knee injury. Hargrave (6-foot-2, 305 pounds) played the past three seasons with the Eagles after his first four with the Pittsburgh Steelers.
So, Javon Hargrave in for Javon Kinlaw? Essentially, but the 49ers aren't financially forced to part with Kinlaw, who is slated to make $2.7 million in salary in the final year of his rookie deal, with his fifthyear option for 2024 unlikely to be exercised.
Ironically, Hargrave's reported contract figures with the 49ers are similar to what DeForest Buckner commanded from the Indianapolis Colts three years ago, when the 49ers balked at his asking price and traded him for a first-round draft pick. Buckner reportedly scored a four-year, $84 million deal with $44.4 million guaranteed.
The 49ers' defensive line still needs more reinforcements, especially at defensive end, where they hope 2022 top pick Drake Jackson takes a major step in Year 2.
Hargrave has played in 111 of 114 games since joining the NFL as a 2016 thirdround draft pick by the Steelers, out of South Carolina State. The last game he missed was the 2020 opener — at the onset of his Eagles' tenure — because of a pectoral strain.
Of Hargrave's 37 1/2 career sacks, 11 came this past season, and he had 7 1/2 in 2021 en route to his lone Pro Bowl honors. In last season's 31-7 NFC Championship win over the 49ers, Hargrave had a sack, of Josh Johnson in the second quarter, when Hargrave slipped past left guard Aaron Banks.
Hargrave was credited with 57 quarterback pressures last season, according to ProFootballFocus. com, which had the 49ers led by Armstead's 20 and Kerry Hyder's 14.
The 49ers had a slew of defensive linemen hit free agency: Samson Ebukam, Charles Omenihu, Jordan Willis, Kerry Hyder Jr., Hassan Ridgeway, Maurice Hurst, and T.Y. McGill. Kevin Givens, a restricted free agent, re-signed on a one-year, $2.1 million deal.