The San Francisco 49ers overhaul of their defensive line is set to include the release of perhaps their best defensive tackle.
General manager John Lynch on Wednesday in his end-of-season press conference told reporters the 49ers are planning to release DT Javon Hargrave with a post-June 1 designation, though they’re open to bringing him back.
Hargrave played in only three games this season before suffering a season-ending triceps tear.
A recent restructure of his deal made the post-June 1 route a palatable one for San Francisco on the salary cap front. Over the Cap had the details on his restructure in December:
The 49ers reduced Hargrave’s base salary from $19.9 million to $2.1 million, dropping Hargraves salary cap number from $28.105 million to $10.305 million in the process. The original cost to cut Hargrave would have been either $24.86 million on the cap or $28.105 million during free agency if using the June 1. This will allow the team to designate Hargrave as a post June 1 release, count for just $10.3 million on the cap during free agency and then have it drop to and have his cap number count for $8.6 million in 2025 if Hargrave is still hurt and defer $17.485 million to 2026.
While it seems counterintuitive to release a quality defensive lineman in the midst of rebuilding a defensive line, this is the reality of the 49ers’ salary cap situation. They’re going to have to cut ties with some good players and it appears that’s what they’re set to do with Hargrave.
The 49ers signed Hargrave to a four-year, $81 million contract before the 2023 season. He made the Pro Bowl in 2023 and played in 19 games and posted 51 tackles, nine tackles for loss and 8.0 sacks with San Francisco.