CBS Sports Says Packers Got the Best of Vikings
The Minnesota Vikings cut defensive tackle Javon Hargrave this week after a mediocre season in 2025, prompting the Green Bay Packers to sign him. And that’s a problem for Minnesota, says CBS Sports, which called the Packers a “winner” in free agency for the Hargrave signing.
Green Bay’s Hargrave signing drew praise, while Minnesota’s defensive line plan invited fresh questions.
Most Vikings fans didn’t give a damn when the team dropped Hargrave, so news of the Packers reaping the benefits felt a little strange.
Javon Hargrave’s Exit Is Being Framed as a Win for Green Bay
Hargave’s fifth career chapter is underway in Wisconsin.
CBS Sports: Packers a Free Agency Winner for Adding Hargrave
CBS Sports‘ Jordan Dajani named winners and losers out of the gate for NFL free agency, and because of Hargrave, Green Bay got a nod as a winner.
Dajani explained, “All things considered, the Green Bay Packers have not had a great free agency. But Brian Gutekunst made fans happy Wednesday by agreeing to terms with former Minnesota Vikings defensive tackle Javon Hargrave on a reported two-year, $23 million deal.”
“At 33-years-old, Hargrave is no longer a double-digit sack Pro Bowler, but he can still make an impact in the middle of the defensive line — which is exactly what Green Bay needed. In addition to filling a need, this move reunites Hargrave with new Packers defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon.”
Vikings fans learned of Hargrave’s release earlier in the week and largely didn’t care. It was expected.
Dajani concluded, “The two worked together during their time with the Philadelphia Eagles in 2021 and 2022. Over that 33-game stretch, Hargrave recorded 123 tackles and 18.5 sacks. That includes an 11-sack season in 2022, when the Eagles made it to Super Bowl LVII.”
The 2025 Performance
Hargrave’s Pro Football Focus grades indicate he’s slightly above average as an interior defender. In 2025, he earned a 70.0 pass-rushing grade and a 57.3 run-defense mark, resulting in an overall grade of 68.0 —ranking him 35th among interior linemen. While his pass rush shows promise, his run defense lacks consistency.
His statistics support this assessment. In 16 games and 537 defensive snaps (53%), Hargrave recorded 52 tackles, 3.5 sacks, 6 quarterback hits, 4 tackles for loss, one forced fumble, and 31 pressures, placing him 34th among defensive tackles in pressure generation.
Green Bay is acquiring a dependable veteran with pass-rushing capabilities. Despite two Pro Bowl appearances earlier in his career, recent film and statistics suggest Hargrave is now a mid-tier defensive tackle.
Vikings Evidently Preferring Youth
Minnesota’s defensive tackle group appears strong even without Hargrave. Jalen Redmond emerged as one of the defense’s top performers last season and appears poised to be a long-term starter.
Levi Drake Rodriguez is developing into a solid run defender and could compete for starting snaps next season. Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins saw a smidgen playing time as a rookie, and undrafted defensive tackle Elijah Williams impressed during training camp and the preseason.
Similar to Green Bay, Minnesota may still look to draft a rookie DT in April. Early in the event, these names will turn heads for DT-needy clubs:
- Peter Woods (Clemson)
- Caleb Banks (Florida)
- Kayden McDonald (Ohio State)
- Lee Hunter (Texas Tech)
- Christen Miller (Georgia)
The Gannon Connection in GB
So, why did Hargrave choose Green Bay of all places? Well, he may have felt some revenge-oriented feelings, sticking it to the Vikings after they cut him. That happens. But the more likely explanation is that of Packers defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon.
Hargrave spent the three seasons with the Philadelphia Eagles, overlapping with Gannon in two of them and reaching the Pro Bowl in 2021. The Arizona Cardinals fired Gannon earlier this offseason — the springboard event that led Kyler Murray to Minnesota — and Green Bay waltzed in with a defensive coordinator offer.
Seeking to replace Kenny Clark, who joined the Dallas Cowboys during the Micah Parsons trade, Gannon and the Packers’ brass settled on Hargrave.
PackersWire‘s Mark Oldacres on the Hargrave addition: “Despite being well into the back nine of his career, Hargrave still has plenty of juice as a pass rusher, as shown by the numbers from 2025. Disrupting the quarterback has been his calling card throughout his career.”
“The 31 pressures Hargrave racked up on the interior last year were more than any Packers defensive tackle, and he had as many sacks per PFF (four) as Devonte Wyatt.”
Most Vikings fans decided Hargrave wasn’t overly productive after his performance in 2025, but CBS Sports disagrees, and Hargrave will see the Vikings twice per season, with a chance to prove the naysayers wrong.
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