Kyle Shanahan Expects Javon Hargrave Back With the 49ers in 2025

Kyle Shanahan pushes back on the idea that Javon Hargrave won't be with the 49ers in 2025.

Jul 25, 2024; Santa Clara, CA, USA; San Francisco 49ers defensive lineman Javon Hargrave answers questions at a press conference following Day 3 of training camp at SAP Performance Facility. Mandatory Credit: D. Ross Cameron-Imagn Images / D. Ross Cameron-Imagn Images

The San Francisco 49ers restructed Javon Hargrave's contract on Tuesday.

It was a random transaction for them to do at this time, but it is an indicative one. The restructure of Hargrave's contract frees up a lot of cap space for the 49ers in 2025 and allows them to cut Hargrave with a post-June-1 designation. The writing is on the wall.

However, despite what the move indicates, head coach Kyle Shanahan reassures that Hargrave is part of the 49ers' plans in 2025.

“Plan is for him to be a Niner," said Shanahan. "I don't know about the contract tinkering. That'd be more of a question for [President of Football Operations/General Manager] John [Lynch] and now [President of 49ers Enterprises and EVP of Football Operations] Paraag [Marathe]. I think that's just mechanics of contract stuff. But things I don't look into until after the season.”

The news of Hargrave's restructure was broken by Over The Cap's Jason Fitzgerald. The 49ers didn't formally announce it first. Here is what he wrote on the details of the restructure and what it means for the 49ers.

"Per a league source, the 49ers recently restructured the contract of Javon Hargrave for 2025 and 2026 in what looks to be a set up to allow for a post June 1 release next year,"writes Over The Cap's Jason Fitzgerald. "The 49ers reduced Hargrave's base salary from $19.9 million to $2.1 million, dropping Hargrave's salary cap number from $28.105 million to $10.305 million in the process. The original cost to cut Hargrave would have been either $24.86 million on the cap or $28.105 million during free agency if using the June 1. This will allow the team to designate Hargrave as a post June 1 release, count for just $10.3 million on the cap during free agency and then have it drop to and have his cap number count for $8.6 million in 2025 if Hargrave is still hurt and defer $17.485 million to 2026."

Shanahan may say that the plan is for Hargrave to be with the 49ers after this year, but he can easily pivot to saying "at the time" it was the plan. I would be surprised if Hargrave isn't cut. It looks like he will follow a similar path as Arik Armstead did this past offseason.

Hargrave hasn't fully lived up to his contract with the 49ers. He has been decent, but not as major of an impactful player as the 49ers hoped for when they signed him to his lucrative deal. The 49ers are also looking to get younger, which makes releasing Hargrave more enticing.