The 49ers went outside of their comfort zone this offseason to sign defensive tackle Javon Hargrave in free agency and are excited to see it hopefully pay off in 2023.
General manager John Lynch and coach Kyle Shanahan had their eye on Hargrave for a while, but of course, they had to get approval from the big boss before pursuing the seven-year pro. As a result, Lynch prepared and delivered a desperate plea to CEO Jed York.
"I said [to York], 'Well, we got the guy for you and we gotta go get him,'" Lynch said. "That was the challenge, could we do it? There was a lot of competition for him, but we were able to do it. And I'm really excited about watching this guy. We watched him terrorize the league, terrorize us, and it's nice to have him on our side."
Once given the green light, Lynch and Shanahan wasted no time to get their guy.
The NFL negotiating period began March 13 at 9 a.m. PT. That same day, the former Philadelphia Eagles defensive tackle and San Francisco agreed to a four-year, $84 million contract.
Even though Hargrave received offers from other teams around the league -- some of which were worth far more than what San Francisco offered -- joining the 49ers was a no-brainer for Hargrave.
“I couldn’t believe it myself,” Hargrave said. “I really couldn’t. Sometimes when you’re trying to get the money, you have to go to a team that’s in a rebuild mode. When you have a chance to go to a team that was just in the NFC Championship, that’s kind of an easy choice for me.
San Francisco 49ers
“It really made me happy because I was real nervous about free agency on where I was going to have to go, but I feel like this is the perfect situation for me.”
The 49ers have been an organization that barely dips their toes into the free-agency market, but this year, they went and made a ginormous splash.
“We are never going to be a huge spender, but I think when we do spend, we have to make sure it’s deliberate,” York said at the NFL Annual Meeting last week. “Making the trade for Christian [McCaffrey] last year, getting Javon and a few others in free agency, this year.
"You want to make sure you’re adding to the club and making sure you’re giving the club a chance to win.”
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Ultimately, the goal is to get revenge on the Eagles in the NFC Championship Game, but Hargrave could help take the 49ers to the next and final stage in football.