Packer Central

In Packers Free Agent Grades, Javon Hargrave Signing Gets Crushed

Here’s a look at what the “experts” are saying about the Green Bay Packers’ moves in NFL free agency.
Bill Huber|
New Packers defensive lineman Javon Hargrave (97) reacts after a sack while he was with the Eagles in 2022.
New Packers defensive lineman Javon Hargrave (97) reacts after a sack while he was with the Eagles in 2022. | Eric Hartline-Imagn Images

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Green Bay Packers

The Green Bay Packers have seen more quality talent go out the door than it’s added through the start of NFL free agency.

Their big signing, defensive tackle Javon Hargrave, wasn’t universally beloved.

At The Athletic, the Packers got a D for giving Hargrave a two-year, $23 million contract after one so-so season with the Vikings.

“This is a lot of money for a 33-year-old defensive lineman who is better served in a rotational role at this stage of his career,” Daniel Popper wrote. “Hargrave is not the force he once was, like in 2022 when he had 11 sacks for the Eagles. …

“The Packers had a hole on the interior of their defensive line after dealing Kenny Clark in the Micah Parsons trade in August. This feels like a need spurring an aggressive deal as the market dried up.”

The Athletic as of Thursday afternoon had graded 97 signings. Only one received a worse grade.

ESPN: Packers Pay ‘Defensive Tackle Tax’ on Javon Hargrave

The Packers signed Hargrave in hopes of him turning back the clock to his dominant seasons alongside Jonathan Gannon in Philadelphia. According to ESPN.com’s Seth Walder, who gave the Packers a B-minus, his pass-rush win rate was in the 88th percentile at the position but a run-stop win rate of just 22 percent.

“It feels high for a player of Hargrave's age,” Walder said of Hargrave’s contract, “but there's a defensive tackle tax that teams effectively have to pay this year because of the lack of quality at the position in free agency. Defensive tackle-needy teams have been forced to pay up a little bit, which is the position the Packers were in.”

Walder also tackled the trade of Rashan Gary and the trade for Zaire Franklin. He gave the Packers an A for the Gary trade. Mostly, he picked on the Cowboys. Of Green Bay, he wrote, “For the Packers, this is a boon. They might well have been prepared to cut Gary given his deal, so to find a fourth-round pick from Dallas is superb business. Edge rusher is a need now, but getting a return to not pay Gary what he was owed is a win.”

CBS Gives Packers B-minus

The Packers got a B-minus from CBS’s Zachary Pereles, who liked the trade of defensive end Rashan Gary and the addition of cornerback Benjamin St-Juste.

“The Packers getting anything for Gary – who, before being traded, posted and deleted a goodbye Instagram post and then claimed he was hacked – is a win,” he wrote. “That it was a fourth-round pick makes it a steal. … St-Juste had a remarkable season with the Chargers after a difficult start to his career; his length and physicality could translate well to a Green Bay defense that needs to create more turnovers.”

Individually, Garrett Podell gave the Packers a B-plus for signing Hargrave. He rightly noted that Devonte Wyatt missed the end of last season with a broken fibula and torn ankle ligaments.

“Hargrave's presence will allow Wyatt to not feel like he has to rush his recovery in order to return for Week 1,” he wrote.

Bleacher Report: Some Good, Some Bad

Bleacher Report wasn’t as enamored by the signing of Javon Hargrave – his “best days are in the rearview mirror” – as it was the addition of cornerback Benjamin St-Juste. Coming off “arguably his best season,” that signing got a B.

“The 6-foot-3, 200-pound defender brings a different dynamic to the defensive backs still on Green Bay's roster,” the B/R staff wrote. “His size and physicality can be a major addition as part of Jonathan Gannon's defensive approach.”

The Packers got a C for trading Rashan Gary, which is completely baffling and missed the point.

Pro Football Focus: Average, Average and Average

Pro Football Focus graded most of the big moves. While it bypassed Green Bay’s signing of receiver/returner Skyy Moore, it had individual reports on signing Javon Hargrave and Benjamin St-Juste, trading Rashan Gary and acquiring Zaire Franklin. The additions all received “average” grades.

St-Juste, who at 6-foot-3 will bring a different toolbox to the secondary, received a two-year, $10 million contract. He finished fourth in the NFL in passes defensed for the Commanders in 2023 and was an excellent tackler for the Chargers.

“He has shown a knack for breaking up passes, with 32 pass breakups in five seasons, and is a good fit as a rotational player in Green Bay's defense,” PFF wrote.

Packers On SI Grades

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Bill Huber
BILL HUBER

Bill Huber, who has covered the Green Bay Packers since 2008, is the publisher of Packers On SI, a Sports Illustrated channel. E-mail: packwriter2002@yahoo.com History: Huber took over Packer Central in August 2019. Twitter: https://twitter.com/BillHuberNFL Background: Huber graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, where he played on the football team, in 1995. He worked in newspapers in Reedsburg, Wisconsin Dells and Shawano before working at The Green Bay News-Chronicle and Green Bay Press-Gazette from 1998 through 2008. With The News-Chronicle, he won several awards for his commentaries and page design. In 2008, he took over as editor of Packer Report Magazine, which was founded by Hall of Fame linebacker Ray Nitschke, and PackerReport.com. In 2019, he took over the new Sports Illustrated site Packer Central, which he has grown into one of the largest sites in the Sports Illustrated Media Group.