Former Minnesota Vikings defensive tackle Javon Hargrave is done for the 2026 season after tests confirmed a torn Achilles tendon, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
Schefter reported: “Tests today confirmed that Green Bay Packers DT Javon Hargrave suffered a season-ending torn Achilles.”
The 33-year-old went down late in the fourth quarter of Green Bay’s 31-7 win over the Chicago Bears on Sunday without contact while pursuing the quarterback and was carted off.
Packers coach Matt LaFleur had already signaled concern after the game, saying early indications pointed to the Achilles.
Hargrave signed with Green Bay in March on a two-year deal worth more than $23 million after the Vikings released him as part of a broader move toward younger talent and salary-cap relief.
In four games with the Packers this season he logged 123 snaps without a start, recording six tackles and two quarterback hits. Pro Football Focus graded his limited work at 74.1, showing he still generated some push from the interior.
Minnesota released him this past spring and pivoted fully to a young defensive tackle group led by Jalen Redmond, with contributions from Levi Drake Rodriguez, Ty Ingram-Dawkins, Caleb Banks, Domonique Orange and Elijah Williams.
That unit has held up through the early portion of the schedule and helped the Vikings open the year with a 39-22 victory over the Packers at U.S. Bank Stadium in Week 1, winning the line of scrimmage in the second half.
Hargrave’s lone season in Minnesota produced solid if unspectacular numbers: 52 tackles, 3.5 sacks, six quarterback hits, four tackles for loss, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery across 16 games with 15 starts.
He showed the explosive first step that once made him a Pro Bowl selection earlier in his career, particularly in a Week 1 outing against the Bears in 2025.
The Packers face a decision on the second year of his contract in 2027, when releasing him would free roughly $10 million in cap space.
Hargrave, a third-round pick of the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2016 who also played for the Philadelphia Eagles and San Francisco 49ers, has 49 career sacks and two Pro Bowl appearances.
Recovery from an Achilles tear typically requires significant time, raising questions about whether he will be ready for training camp next year at age 34.
The Vikings and Packers meet again in Week 10 at Lambeau Field, with Minnesota’s younger interior line already having one decisive performance against Green Bay on its résumé.
