The San Francisco 49ers are already turning over their roster. According to general manager John Lynch, the team will release defensive tackle Javon Hargrave with a post-June 1 designation. Lynch said there’s interest in bringing Hargrave back, but he’ll be a free agent.
Hargrave, who turns 32 next month, only played three games this past season before suffering a torn triceps. He played a tremendous game in Week 3, but the 49ers paid him to be available for the second-half stretch and potential playoff run.
Hargrave was two years removed from a four-year, $84-million contract. In 2023, he finished outside the top ten among defensive tackles in sacks and the top 20 in quarterback hits. Hargrave’s win percentage was 14th. This past offseason, Hargrave wanted his conditioning to improve. He played fewer snaps in 2023 with the Niners than in his previous two seasons with the Philadelphia Eagles.
Hargrave was dominant for the Eagles in 2022, but the 49ers gambled on a defensive tackle who was on the wrong side of 30 and was undersized. Still, acting like he was a liability or some flop during his 49ers tenure is an exaggeration.
The decision to release Hargrave comes down to business, and it was a move the Niners had already hinted about a month ago when they restructured Hargrave’s contract.
The move to release Hargrave with a post-June 1 designation saves the 49ers $7.37 million over each of the following three seasons. In 2026, due to the extra ghost years on Hargrave’s contract, the 49ers will end up eating just under $3 million in dead cap. But they’ll save about $4.5 million in 2025 and the entire $7.3 million in 2027.
It won’t be easy, but finding an every-down defensive tackle who is a premium pass rusher without being a net negative against the run, all while being available for every game, won’t be easy. Don’t be surprised if the 49ers look at defensive tackles early in the upcoming NFL Draft.
The current defensive tackles consist of Maliek Collins, Jordan Elliott, Kevin Givens, Evan Anderson, Kalia Davis, and Khalil Davis. Khalil Davis and Givens are unrestricted free agents. Anderson is an ERFA. Elliott is under contract for another year, but the 49ers could release him and not owe any dead money.
