Report: Green Bay Packers signing former Minnesota Vikings DT Javon Hargrave to 2-year contract

The Green Bay Packers are signing former Minnesota Vikings defensive tackle Javon Hargrave, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported. It will be a two-year contract worth $23 million.

The Vikings granted Hargrave his release on Wednesday at the start of the new NFL league year. That meant he was free to sign with another team in free agency, and he’ll now get ready to head to Green Bay. As a result, he’s staying in the NFC North.

Hargrave was entering the second year of a two-year, $30 million deal with the Vikings in 2026. However, the franchise granted him a release and saved more than $10 million against the salary cap in the process. This past season, he totaled 52 tackles – including four tackles for loss and 3.5 sacks.

Prior to his arrival in Minnesota, Hargrave spent two seasons with the San Francisco 49ers from 2023-24, but missed most of the 2024 campaign due to injuries. In 2023, he made his second career Pro Bowl as he recorded 44 tackles, eight tackles for loss and seven sacks.

The Pittsburgh Steelers drafted Hargrave in the third round of the 2016 NFL Draft out of South Carolina State, and he immediately took on a starting role. He spent four seasons with the Steelers before landing with the Philadelphia Eagles in 2020.

In 2021, Hargrave made his first career Pro Bowl as he set a career-high with 63 tackles. He also had nine TFLs and 7.5 sacks, as well as a career-best 18 quarterback hits that year.

Javon Hargrave will now join a new-look Packers defense under new coordinator Jonathan Gannon. It’s also a reunion since Hargrave played for Gannon in Philadelphia.

Green Bay notably agreed to trade edge rusher Rashan Gary to the Dallas Cowboys, along with a seventh-round pick, for a fourth-round selection. In addition, the Packers agreed to send Colby Wooden to the Indianapolis Colts in exchange for Zaire Franklin. They also added cornerback Benjamin St-Juste on a two-year deal worth $10 million, according to Spotrac.

Of course, the Packers are also going to get the focal point of their defense back in 2026. Star edge rusher Micah Parsons is working his way back from a torn ACL suffered late in the year, and while he might not be available for Week 1, he previously said he hopes to avoid injured reserve and make a return early in the season.

Green Bay went 9-7-1 in 2025 and made the playoffs as the No. 7 seed in the NFC. That meant the Packers had to go back to Soldier Field and face the Chicago Bears, who erased a 21-3 deficit to advance to the NFC Divisional Round with a 31-27 victory. That meant Green Bay dropped its final five games of the season.