The Green Bay Packers didn’t hesitate in March. Hours after the Minnesota Vikings released Javon Hargrave, Green Bay signed the veteran defensive lineman to a two-year, $23 million contract with a $10.5 million signing bonus.
The move reunited Hargrave with new defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon, hired in February after Jeff Hafley left to become the Miami Dolphins‘ head coach. Gannon ran the Philadelphia Eagles defense during Hargrave’s best seasons, and he handed the 33-year-old a significant role on a unit that will open the season without its biggest star.
With training camp opening July 29, one national analyst has given a warning to Packers fans that they won’t love.
Why Javon Hargrave’s Packers Contract Is Being Called a Gamble
CBS Sports’ Josh Edwards examined Green Bay’s roster ahead of camp and framed the Hargrave’s signing as one of the team’s biggest gambles, hoping he will be “tapping into the fountain of youth.”
The skepticism is rooted in recent production. Hargrave played 16 games with 15 starts for the Vikings in 2025 but finished with 3.5 sacks and six quarterback hits on 53% of the defensive snaps. That came one year after a torn triceps ended his 2024 season three games in with San Francisco.
Lombardi Ave’s John Sbisa acknowledged those concerns, writing that Hargrave’s 2025 season was solid but “a far cry from his Eagles peak.”
He added: “A lackluster season in Green Bay would cast a grim light on the pre- and post-injury divide.”
The peak Sbisa was referring to came under Gannon. From 2021-22, with Gannon coordinating the Eagles defense, Hargrave totaled 18.5 sacks, 19 tackles for loss and 34 quarterback hits — the best two-year stretch of his career. He made the Pro Bowl in 2021 and set a career high with 11 sacks in 2022.
Gannon made his stance clear on Hargrave after his signing with the Packers.
“He works his butt off and he’s tough as nails,” the coordinator said of Hargrave, via Forbes. “When we had the ability to acquire him or the chance to acquire him, team-first guy, loves football, smart, and he works his butt off and he’s tough as nails. So, anybody that kind of checks those boxes, you want to acquire them if you can. He checked all those boxes. I’m excited to get back with him.”
Packers Need Javon Hargrave Early With Micah Parsons Out Until October
Green Bay’s pass rush can’t afford a slow start from Hargrave.
Micah Parsons underwent ACL surgery with a meniscus cleanup on December 29, and the team’s nine-month recovery rule pushes his earliest return to mid-October. Parsons is expected to open the year on the physically unable to perform list, making the Week 6 matchup with Dallas on October 18 his realistic debut target.
The interior is thin, too. The Packers sent Kenny Clark to Dallas in the Parsons trade last August and dealt Colby Wooden in the deal that brought linebacker Zaire Franklin from Indianapolis. Devonte Wyatt, meanwhile, broke his fibula and tore an ankle ligament in the Thanksgiving win over Detroit. Wyatt says he will be ready for training camp, but Hargrave’s addition allows Green Bay to ease him back into a full workload rather than rush the recovery.
Hargrave does bring one dependable trait: durability. He has played 15-plus games in nine of his 10 NFL seasons, with the 2024 triceps tear the lone exception.
If he holds up and Gannon can recreate even part of the Philadelphia formula, the signing looks smart by November. If not, the Packers will spend the fall waiting on Parsons while a $23 million bet sits quiet in the middle of their defense.
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