The Philadelphia Eagles just lost the epicenter of their dominant defensive line, as the San Francisco 49ers have agreed to give defensive tackle Javon Hargrave a four-year, $84 million contract with $40 million guaranteed, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
The average of $21 million per year puts Hargrave right up there at his position, tied for third with Indianapolis’ DeForest Buckner and Leonard Williams of the New York Giants. Only Aaron Donald and Daron Payne of the Washington Commanders, who recently signed a massive four-year, 90 million extension, will have larger contracts on a per-year basis.
But Hargrave has proven to be worth the scratch. Philadelphia got Hargrave on a three-year, $39 million deal in 2020, and that turned out to be a real steal. Last season, Hargrave has 12 sacks, six quarterback hits, 48 quarterback hurries, and 36 stops.
But Hargrave’s effect on the Eagles’ defense went beyond his own stats – it’s how the Eagles’ defense changed when he wasn’t on the field. Per Sports Info Solutions, Hargrave was on the field for 649 snaps and off the field for 363. When he was on the field. The Eagles’ pressure rate went from 33.3% to 37.8%, their sack rate went from 8.4% to 12.0%, their yards per attempt allowed went from 5.4 through 4.7, and the opponent rushing touchdown rate went from 5.1% to 3.4%. You could argue that Hargrave has as massive an effect as any defensive tackle in the league in 2022.
The 49ers will put Hargrave in the middle of a defensive line that already had the personnel to give opposing offenses all kinds of problems, and with a true force multiplier in Hargrave, those offensive problems should continue to multiply.