The Green Bay Packers have invested in their defense over the last year, and it didn't stop this offseason as they added Javon Hargrave to the fold. Hargrave was released from the Minnesota Vikings, and it wasn't too long until he signed with the Packers.
The answer may have been simple for Hargrave when asked why he signed with Green Bay, and it starts with defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon, who was his coordinator when he was with the Philadelphia Eagles.
“He’s definitely a big reason but also their culture,” Hargrave said via Bill Huber of Sports Illustrated. “My whole career, I’ve been with great organizations – not to try to throw shade [at other teams] but historic organizations. Lambeau Field, I feel like it just fit me. And, of course, J.G., man. I love J.G. Great coach and friend. Kept up with him over the years, so that was a big thing, too.”
When Hargrave signed with the Eagles in 2021, and Gannon was the defensive coordinator, he set a career high in sacks with 7.5 sacks and tackles with 63. In 2022, he had 11 sacks and 60 tackles. Those numbers helped the Eagles get to the Super Bowl that season, and it showed that Gannon knew how to get the best out of his players.
“We had crazy talent, too,” Hargrave said. “J.G., he just knows how to make things come to life for everybody. The things he’s going to call and tell us he’s going to call, he’s got a sense of making us believe it’s going to work. We had a whole good group in Philly with Fletch (Fletcher Cox), Haason (Reddick), (Josh) Sweat, B.G. (Brandon Graham).”
Now that Gannon is the defensive coordinator with the Packers, Hargrave has hope that he could get back to his dominant self under a familiar face.
