NFL free agency is officially one week away, meaning teams are scrambling to free up as much money as possible to compete with big-time spenders. Salary cap space is a weapon during the offseason, and championship-quality teams can't be built with a budget-friendly mentality.
The San Francisco 49ers will be looking to bolster their roster throughout the coming weeks with their $33.7 million in cap space following the Deebo Samuel trade. Although that's a decent chunk of change, 49ers general manager John Lynch can release players and/or restructure contracts to increase his offseason budget.
In fact, that's exactly what the veteran front-office executive is planning to do.
49ers to Release DT Javon Hargrave Following Positive Injury News
On Wednesday morning, NFL insider Jeremy Fowler reported that the 49ers have designated defensive tackle Javon Hargrave for a post-June 1 cut. The two-time Pro Bowl defender is reportedly healthy following a 2024 season-ending triceps tear and will be free to sign with a new team on March 12.
According to The San Francisco Standard's David Lombardi, the move will clear about $40 million of non-guaranteed salary off the books while creating $2.2 million in cap space.
Teams were notified that #49ers DT Javon Hargrave -- who will be a post-June-1 release by the team -- is healthy coming off his tricep injury, per sources. He will be available to sign March 12, start of the new league year.
— Jeremy Fowler (@JFowlerESPN) March 5, 2025
Hargrave, 32, joined the 49ers on a four-year, $84 million contract during the 2023 offseason after spending his first seven seasons with the Philadelphia Eagles and Pittsburgh Steelers. The former South Carolina State product was coming off a massive 2022 campaign that saw him tally a career-high 11.0 sacks, and the hope was that he could have similar success in the Bay.
Hargrave's first year with the 49ers couldn't have gone better. Although his 7.0 sacks fell short of the previous year's total, the former 2016 third-rounder still managed to fight his way to his second Pro Bowl nod.
Unfortunately, Year 2 didn't go nearly as smoothly, ending when he tore his triceps against the L.A. Rams in Week 3.
It's going to be interesting to see where Hargrave ends up this offseason. He's a battle-proven veteran who's racked up 215 solo tackles, 45.5 sacks, and eight defended passes across his nine-year career, and that's without mentioning his playoff experience that stems from playing in three conference championship games and two Super Bowls.
Throw in the fact that he can likely be signed for cheaper due to his recent injury history, and it's easy to see how Hargrave could be a popular target for teams looking for defensive leadership.
The 49ers fanbase will have a better idea of Hargrave's outlook once free agency begins. In the meantime, the NFL's legal tampering period is set to open on Monday, March 10.