Getty
Packers head coach Matt LaFleur.
The Green Bay Packers need to acquire some help on the defensive line this offseason, and a likely Minnesota Vikings cut candidate fits the bill.
Defensive tackle Javon Hargrave is entering the second season of a two-year deal worth $30 million in 2026, and the Vikings are currently shopping him on the trade market.
However, his market on a base salary of more than $14 million at the age of 33 is going to be minimal, especially since interested teams around the NFL can be fairly certain the Vikings will release Hargrave in the interest of $11 million in salary cap savings if they can’t move him.
Bill Huber of SI contended Saturday that Minnesota’s loss could prove Green Bay’s gain.
“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. “Of 77 interior defensive linemen with at least 250 pass-rushing snaps in 2025, Clark was 21st in pass-rush win rate.”
Javon Hargrave Cap Casualty, as Vikings Need to Trim More Than $43 Million
GettyDefensive tackle Javon Hargrave of the Minnesota Vikings.
Alec Lewis, who covers the Vikings for The Athletic, explained why Minnesota is liable to part ways with Hargrave this spring.
“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 on December 18. “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 was still $43.2 million over the salary cap as of Tuesday.
Packers Could Address Defensive Line Deficiencies by Reuniting With Kenny Clark
GettyDefensive tackle Kenny Clark, formerly of the Green Bay Packers.
Huber also mentioned a reunion with Kenny Clark as a way for the Packers to address their issues on the defensive line, assuming the Dallas Cowboys see the logic in parting ways with the DT in the interest of saving $21.5 million against the cap without incurring any dead money penalty.
“At this point, the contract extension that Clark signed with the Packers — he is due an $8.8 million base salary and $11 million roster bonus — could send him out the door in Dallas and set up at least the potential of a reunion,” Huber wrote.
Clark, who turns 31 years old in October, has fallen off since the third Pro-Bowl campaign of his career in 2023.
However, his price should be considerably lower on a new deal if Dallas cuts him and he hits free agency, which could create a value opportunity for Green Bay to add experience and depth to its defensive front as the team transitions to a new system under defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon.
Beyond that, Huber noted that Clark still has some juice as a pass-rusher, which he flashed last season with the Cowboys’ 30th-ranked defense.
“Of 77 interior defensive linemen with at least 250 pass-rushing snaps in 2025, Clark was 21st in pass-rush win rate,” Huber continued.
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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