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Defensive tackle Javon Hargrave of the Minnesota Vikings.
The Minnesota Vikings have to trim some fat off of a roster that underperformed last season, and one of their potential castoffs could end up playing for the rival Green Bay Packers come Week 1.
Minnesota inked defensive tackle Javon Hargrave to a two-year deal worth $30 million ahead of last season as part of an effort to fortify the trenches on both sides of the football. Unfortunately for the Vikings, Hargrave didn’t work out and is now perhaps the chief cut candidate as the team makes a push to get under the salary cap ahead of the new league year on March 11.
Bill Huber of SI wrote over the weekend that Minnesota’s loss could be Green Bay’s gain, as the Packers are in the market for interior defenders on their front line this offseason.
“The Vikings threw around a lot of money last offseason, including on Hargrave, who had a total of 25 sacks in 2021, 2022 and 2023 before missing most of 2024 due to injury,” Huber wrote. “The 33-year-old played in 16 games last season and had 3.5 sacks. He is due a base salary of $14.2 million. Of 77 interior defensive linemen with at least 250 pass-rushing snaps in 2025, Hargrave was 17th in pass-rush win rate.”
Javon Hargrave Arguably Most Logical Cap Casualty for Vikings This Offseason
GettyDefensive tackles Javon Hargrave (left) and Jonathan Allen (right) of the Minnesota Vikings.
Alec Lewis of The Athletic made the case for Hargrave’s dismissal on December 18.
“One of the more predictable offseason moves will be cutting defensive tackle Javon Hargrave. The reasoning? It’s a combination of age, production and financial savings,” Lewis wrote. “Hargrave will turn 33 in February. He has flashed in spurts as a pass rusher, but his 3.5 sacks have been underwhelming. And the Vikings can create $11 million in room for 2026 by parting ways with him.”
Minnesota remains $43.2 million over the 2026 salary cap heading into the NFL Combine in Indianapolis this week.
Vikings Have Long Way to Go to Get Under Salary Cap, Afford Needed Roster Additions
GettyQuarterback JJ McCarthy of the Minnesota Vikings.
Releasing Hargrave, a two-time Pro Bowler, will only get the Vikings a shade over 25 percent of the way to even against the cap. Minnesota also needs to clear enough space to sign all of the draft picks it makes in April, and the Vikings currently own eight selections across seven rounds.
Beyond that, the team is in the market for at least one new quarterback who can viably beat out JJ McCarthy for the starting job, as well as a starting center, a starting cornerback and a starting safety to replace Harrison Smith, who is likely retiring.
The No. 18 pick in the first round will probably fill one of the Vikings’ needs in the secondary, but either free agency or the trade market is liable to be the avenue for another QB, along with several other roster needs.
That means the franchise is going to need to make more difficult roster cuts beyond Hargrave. Among the possibilities are tight end TJ Hockenson and running back Aaron Jones.
Max Dible covers the NFL, NBA and MLB for Heavy.com, with a focus on the Green Bay Packers, Minnesota Vikings, Chicago Bears and Cleveland Browns. He covered local and statewide news as a reporter for West Hawaii Today and served as news director for BigIslandNow.com and Pacific Media Group’s family of Big Island radio stations before joining Heavy. More about Max Dible
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