Former Steelers DT, Free Agent Target Joins NFC North
Former Steelers defensive tackle Javon Hargrave will not be returning to Pittsburgh for the 2025 NFL season.
The Pittsburgh Steelers have missed out on yet another potential defensive line candidate and one that they helped to develop. Two-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle Javon Hargrave, who is being released by the San Francisco 49ers on Wednesday, is heading to the NFC North in free agency.
According to NFL Network insider Tom Pelissero, Hargrave is expected to sign with the Minnesota Vikings, who also signed another huge defensive lineman in Jonathan Allen on Tuesday.
Hargrave, 32, is coming off a disappointing season in which he had just seven tackles and one sack in three games before partially tearing his right tricep. It’s an injury that required surgery, leaving his health status as a question mark heading into 2025.
However, it wouldn’t have been a bad gamble for the Steelers to make, especially after releasing defensive tackle Larry Ogunjobi on Monday. That has left Pittsburgh’s defensive line room looking very thin.
The Steelers could decide to address their defensive line in the 2025 NFL Draft, which is widely considered to be a deep class at defensive tackle. They should be able to land one or more in the draft, but it wouldn’t hurt for the team to invest in a veteran in free agency, either.
Hargrave began his NFL career as a third-round pick (No. 89 overall) by the Steelers. Following four years (2016-19) in Pittsburgh, he joined the Philadelphia Eagles on a three-year $39 million contract.
The two-time Pro Bowler eventually landed with the 49ers on a four-year, $84 million deal in 2023, but they moved on just two years into the contract.
Hargrave has 380 tackles (215 solo), 45.5 sacks, four forced fumbles, four fumble recoveries and eight passes defensed in his nine-year NFL career.