The 49ers Need to Release Javon Hargrave this Offseason

The 49ers are stuck in the past.

They're an old team full of players getting paid tons of money for things they did years ago. These are the players who need to go this offseason.

One of the most overpaid players on the 49ers is veteran defensive tackle Javon Hargrave. He was outstanding a few seasons ago when he was on the Eagles, but he has been anything but impactful since he signed a four-year, $84 million contract with the 49ers last year.

In 22 career games with the 49ers, he produced 9 sacks and poor run defense. And he has been out since Week 3 with a torn triceps.

Next year, Hargrave will be 32, and his salary cap number will be $28.1 million. The 49ers cannot allocate that much of their cap to a player who can't stay on the field and isn't an impact player when he's contributing. They need to release him.

Fortunately for the 49ers, Hargrave has no guaranteed money left on his deal after this year. They can release him and not pay him another dime. And if they release him with a post-June-1 designation, they will create more than $20 million in cap space which they can roll over to 2026.

I fully expect the 49ers to release Hargrave with a post-June-1 designation just as they did with Arik Armstead last year. And then I wouldn't be surprised if the 49ers spent a first-round draft pick on a defensive tackle. They have almost no talent left at that position.

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