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Viking-Turned-Packer Done for Season
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- Viking-Turned-Packer Done for Season
Tork Mason-Imagn Images via Reuters Connect
The Minnesota Vikings have gone through a significant amount of change on the defensive line over the past two seasons. While they built an impressive stable of edge rushers early on during Brian Flores' tenure as defensive coordinator, the interior group took a bit more work to get right.
After aging veterans Javon Hargrave and Jonathan Allen largely flopped last season, the Vikings let them walk this offseason and turned to the draft.
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So far in 2026, Flores has relied on Levi Drake Rodriguez (2024, seventh round), Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins (2025, fifth round), Caleb Banks (2026, first round) and Domonique Orange (2026, third round).
Don't forget about Jalen Redmond, a 2023 Panthers UDFA who has blossomed in Minnesota since signing in 2024. Through five games, all of those youngsters have stayed healthy.
Former MN Vikings DT Javon Hargrave suffers season-ending injury
Unfortunately for Hargrave, the greener pastures he left for were in Green Bay , where another massive injury bug sat waiting. On Sunday, in a Packers win over the Bears, Hargrave went down and needed to be carted off.
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Initial speculation was that he had suffered a torn Achilles, which Adam Schefter (ESPN) confirmed Monday. Thus, Hargrave's season is officially over.
Tests today confirmed that Green Bay Packers DT Javon Hargrave suffered a season-ending torn Achilles. https://t.co/kUGvsE0aiH
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) October 12, 2026
Minnesota kicked off its 5-0 start in 2026 with a Week 1 victory against the Green Bay Packers. Javon Hargrave played 30 snaps in that game but contributed just a single tackle.
Related: Giants Swoop in on Another Minnesota Viking
Over 123 defensive snaps this season, he collected six tackles (two solo), with half a tackle for loss and one pass defended (0 sacks). Hargrave's best game as a Packer came in Green Bay's Week 4 loss at Atlanta, where he had three tackles and his only pass breakup. He was guaranteed $10.5 million when he signed in the spring.
#Packers Javon Hargrave (98) w/ one of the easier pressures you'll see.#GoPackGo #TitletownTakes https://t.co/Ib7jFdUghM
— Titletown Takes (@TitletownTakes_) October 6, 2026
Tough break for Packers' aging defensive lineman
For a 33-year-old, a torn Achilles is hardly the rehab route you want to endure. While injuries weren't the issue during his one season in Minnesota, where he finished with 3.5 sacks in 16 games, they were the reason he landed here on a discount in the first place.
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Hargrave played just three games as a Niner in 2024, before signing with the Vikings the next offseason. And now, his first season in Green Bay is over after just four games played (he also sat out Week 2 with a concussion and a knee injury).
With Hargrave now out for the year, Anthony Campbell, Jonathan Ford and Chris McClellan can all compete for additional snaps. The Packers are 3-2 and sit second in the NFC North . They host the Cowboys on Sunday Night Football in Week 6, and don't see the Vikings again until mid-November .
