With the San Francisco 49ers 2024 season over, general manager John Lynch and head coach Kyle Shanahan took the podium one last time before driving headfirst into the most important offseason of their tenure. The pair made multiple announcements regarding coaching staff changes, the future of Brock Purdy, and which star players have dawned the red and gold for the final time.
While the 49ers expect wide receiver Deebo Samuel and future Hall of Fame left tackle Trent Williams to return next season, defensive tackle Javon Hargrave may not see the same fate.
According to Lynch, the 49ers plan to release Hargrave with a post-June 1st designation. The move will force San Francisco to take a $7.37 million dead cap hit but create $2.85 million in cap space. Releasing Hargrave allows the soon-to-be 32-year-old to become an unrestricted free agent. At that point, he can sign with any team willing to pay him.
Lynch did leave the door open for a reunion with Hargrave even after his expected release.
“It gives him an opportunity to see what his market is, and that may include us.”
While San Francisco tries to organize their offseason plan, it may come as no surprise releasing Hargrave has been on the table for months.
Why Release Javon Hargrave?
As already stated, the 49ers can free just under $3 million by cutting Hargrave. The reason for that is due to a December contract restructuring that lessened the blow of an eventual separation. Had San Francisco cut Hargrave without a restructure, it would have cost them roughly $20 million, more than half of what it cost after the reworking.
San Francisco signed Hargrave as a free agent in 2023 to a four-year, $84 million contract. He was a large factor in their Super Bowl in 2023, where he tallied 44 tackles, seven sacks, and 14 quarterback hits on his way to his second career Pro Bowl season. In 2024, he played in three games before suffering a partially torn right triceps and landing on injured reserve.
Combining the need to sign Brock Purdy to a long-term extension, among many other off-season moves, cutting Hargrave was an easy decision.
When he signed, Hargrave was supposed to make up for trading DeForest Bucker before the 2020 draft and selecting bust Javon Kinlaw with the 13th overall pick. While Hargrave’s 2023 season was productive, his play never equaled his paycheck.
In the three games he played in 2024, Hargrave had just four tackles and one sack but an impressive 73.3 pass-rush grade, which would have ranked 23rd amongst interior defensive linemen, per Pro Football Focus.
Replacing Hargave
As Hargrave departs, the 49ers only have four interior defensive linemen under contract for 2025. Veteran Maliek Collins and Jordan Elliot are penciled in to start, while former sixth-round pick Kalia Davis and 2024 undrafted free agent Evan Anderson fill out the rest of the depth chart. San Francisco can also match any offer to restricted free agent Khalil Davis.
That said, the room is still lacking star talent that made the 49ers’ 2019-2023 defenses vaunted. After a 6-11 record and now possessing the 11th overall pick, San Francisco could target the trenches once again.
They could also look to bring back D.J Jones in free agency, who should have no problem sliding back into the defense he called home for the first four years of his career, especially if former defensive coordinator Robert Saleh accepts the San Francisco 49ers’ offer to return as well.
