Javon Hargrave is going from a team of dogs to another team of dogs.
The former Philadelphia Eagles defensive tackle, who had a career-high 11 sacks in what was a historic sack season in Philadelphia, told the San Francisco Chronicle that the transition to the Bay Area from the City of Brotherly Love won’t be difficult.
“Leaving Philly, I was fortunate enough to play with a bunch of dogs,” Hargrave said. “And just seeing the 49ers last year when we played them in a championship game, we saw how many dogs they had over there.”
Hargrave was one of the first free agents signed when the new league year began, and the free-agent market opened on March 15.
He came with a high price tag, one way too high for an Eagles payroll that will soon have to find room to add Jalen Hurts’ impending contract extension.
Hargrave signed a four-year, $81 million contract with the 49ers. Of that, $40M is guaranteed at signing, including a $23 million signing bonus.
Hargrave told the Chronicle he was “shocked” the Niners would want to sign him.
“It really was shocking to me that they called me and asked me to come over here because a team like that doesn’t really pay somebody like me to come over here,” said Hargrave. “So, I was just happy to be a part of all these dogs over here. They got a lot of talent, too, and it’s just an easier transition.”
49ers GM John Lynch, however, said he wanted to make his defensive line better, and believes Hargrave is just the right player to make that happen.
“We felt like we had fallen off maybe just a tad on the D-line,” he said. “It wasn’t as dominant as we were accustomed to maybe back in ‘19. We wanted to get back to that.”
Last season, the 49ers had the NFL’s top-ranked defense, but their pass-rush pressure was substandard. They ranked 10th in the NFL in sacks, and only Nick Bosa had more than five sacks.
By contrast, the Eagles rang up 70 sacks, the most since the Minnesota Vikings had 71 in 1989. The next closest to the Eagles in sacks was the Kansas City Chiefs, who had 55.
The Eagles were also the first team in NFL history to have at least four players with double-digits sacks. Haason Reddick led the way with 16, followed by Hargrave, Josh Sweat, and Brandon Graham, each of whom had 11.
Ed Kracz covers the Philadelphia Eagles for SI Fan Nation Eagles Today and co-host of the Eagles Unfiltered Podcast. please follow him on Twitter: @kracze. Want the latest in breaking news and insider information on the Philadelphia Eagles? Click Here. Want even more Philadelphia Eagles news? Check out the SI.com team page here
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