EAGAN, Minn. — The Vikings continued their efforts along the line of scrimmage to open 2025 free agency by agreeing to terms on a deal with defensive lineman Javon Hargrave.
Hargrave, who turned 32 in February, is joining Minnesota for his 10th NFL season, continuing an impressive career that began in 2016 as a third-round pick by the Steelers after he attended South Carolina State.
The deal was reached after Hargrave was released by San Francisco as the New League Year began at 3 p.m. (CT) Wednesday. It occurred a day after Minnesota agreed to terms with defensive lineman Jonathan Allen and was announced about an hour after the team opened by agreeing to terms with offensive linemen Ryan Kelly and Will Fries, as well as cornerback Isaiah Rodgers and defensive back Tavierre Thomas.
After four seasons in Pittsburgh, Hargrave joined Philadelphia for three before heading to San Francisco in 2023. Along the way, he garnered Pro Bowl selections after the 2021 and 2023 seasons. Over the course of those three seasons, he recorded 167 tackles, 27 tackles for loss, 48 QB hits, 25.5 sacks, five passes defensed, two forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries.
View photos of DL Javon Hargrave who joined the Vikings during free agency.
DL Javon Hargrave
DL Javon Hargrave
DL Javon Hargrave
DL Javon Hargrave
DL Javon Hargrave
DL Javon Hargrave
DL Javon Hargrave
DL Javon Hargrave
DL Javon Hargrave
DL Javon Hargrave
DL Javon Hargrave
DL Javon Hargrave
He helped the Eagles make it to Super Bowl LVII and the 49ers advance to LVIII but left each game disappointed by the outcome, despite combining on a TFL for San Francisco's first snap and later recovering a fumble.
In the 2022 Pro Bowl that followed the 2021 season, Hargrave started alongside Allen, now his new Vikings teammate.
Hargrave suffered a torn triceps in Week 3 of the 2024 season. He joins Minnesota with 380 tackles, 55 TFL, 45.5 sacks, 79 QB hits, eight passes defensed, four forced fumbles and four fumble recoveries (one in the end zone for a TD) in 130 games (115 starts).
The North Carolina native's first love was basketball, but during his junior year at South Carolina State, he recorded six sacks in a game against Bethune-Cookman, breaking the school's single-game record and tying MEAC and FCS records. Hargrave finished his junior season ranked fourth in the FCS for sacks (16) and was named MEAC Defensive Player of the Year, as well as an FCS All-American by The Associated Press.
