DeForest Buckner couldn’t help but notice something familiar about Javon Hargrave’s reported free agent contract with the 49ers.
San Francisco made a surprise splash Monday morning, agreeing to sign the former Philadelphia Eagles defensive tackle to a four-year, $84 million contract in free agency.
By adding Hargrave, the 49ers bolstered their defensive line alongside Arik Armstead with star tackle, the caliber of which they haven’t had since Buckner in 2019.
After the deal was announced, the former 49ers defensive lineman spoke to Mike Silver of the San Francisco Chronicle, where he noted a match between Hargraves’ reported contract and the exact contract he received (four years, $84 million) from the Indianapolis Colts after he was traded. from San Francisco in the 2020 low season.
“Great for him!” Buckner told Silver. “Just funny how they literally gave him the same contract.”
Unable to work out a contract extension with the 49ers after his second-team All-Pro selection in 2019, Buckner was traded to the Colts in exchange for the number 13 pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, which San Francisco used to draft a cheaper replacement. , defensive tackle Javon Kinlaw.
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Unfortunately for the 49ers, Kinlaw has been unable to stay sane and his future with the team looks bleak. Since the trade, Buckner received a First Team All-Pro selection in 2020 and was named to his second career Pro Bowl in 2021.
It took three seasons and a hefty contract that the team wouldn’t give Buckner, but the 49ers finally found his replacement.
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