Javon Hargrave is certainly no stranger to switching teams, as the Green Bay Packers will mark the fifth franchise for which he's suited up since his NFL career began back in 2016. And his tenures have gotten shorter and shorter.
After four years with the Pittsburgh Steelers, who took him 89th overall a decade ago, the South Carolina State alum then spent three seasons with the Philadelphia Eagles, two with the San Francisco 49ers, and one with the Minnesota Vikings.
Now, the first two times Hargrave switched squads, it was by choice in free agency. But these last two times, he's been cut. Yes, he was a cap casualty in both instances, as the 49ers and Vikings were looking to cut costs. But that doesn't mean he's not taking it personally, as he explained in a recent interview with Packers on SI's Bill Huber that he's using those releases as motivation for his 2026 campaign in Green Bay.
"I feel like I’ve always got something to prove, but definitely, I've been cut two years in a row, so I feel like I got so much to prove still, and I carry that chip on me," Hargrave said.
Javon Hargrave wants to prove that he still has what it takes to play at a high level
The past two seasons certainly weren't Hargrave's best. Just three games into the 2024 season with the Niners, the two-time Pro Bowler suffered a partially torn right triceps, an injury that ultimately cost him the rest of the year, marking the first time that he'd ever missed more than one game in his entire career.
And while he was healthy this past year with the Vikes, missing just a single game, his 3.5 sacks represented his lowest total for a full season since his second year with the Steelers back in 2017.
At 33 years of age, Hargrave knows what people are saying. But he's excited to be back with Jonathan Gannon, who he says played a big part in getting him to sign with Green Bay in the first place, as the Packers' new DC helped him to the two best years of his career in Philadelphia. And he's ready to get back to that level.
"I think right now, being later in my career, it's the stink of, 'Does he got it anymore?' I don't want to say it's just trying to prove people wrong, but I just always loved challenges.
"I just want to show I've still got it – still got that juice, still got what it takes to play at a high level in this league. For me, that's just been my focus is locking in this offseason, working out, eating right, and trying to have one of my better seasons."
Talk is one thing, but Hargrave now has to go out and show Packers fans he truly does still have what it takes.