10 players who will be wildly overpaid in 2023 NFL Free Agency

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NFL Free Agency: Javon Hargrave #97 of the Philadelphia Eagles looks on against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Lincoln Financial Field on October 30, 2022 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images) /

8. Javon Hargrave, DL, Philadelphia Eagles

Three years ago, Javon Hargrave was one of the top values in NFL Free Agency. Here in 2023, he might be one of the worst. This is not to try and diminish the great things Hargave has done on the field, which need to be highlighted.

Javon Hargrave 2023 stats

60 total tackles
11.0 sacks
16 QB hits
10 tackles for loss
18 pressures

Although some of these numbers were the best of Hargrave’s career, this production hardly came out of nowhere. He’s been an outstanding player since his days with the Pittsburgh Steelers and he’s only evolved and gotten better over time. So why is he shaping up to be one of the most “overpaid” free agents? Well, unfortunately, Hargrave has crossed the age 30 threshold that seems to be so important in the NFL, and he certainly doesn’t play a very ageless position in the trenches on the defensive line.

Given his age and the contract he’s set to command (possibly north of $20 million per year), can you really count on Hargrave producing at the level we saw in 2022 again at any other NFL stop? He had such an amazing cast around him with the Philadelphia Eagles which certainly helped aid in his overall productivity, at least statistically. Although Hargrave is a difference-maker on his own, he was in a great situation as well.

It’s just hard to see him having the same amount of success with a team like the Bears on a five-year, $100 million deal as we saw him have in Philadelphia the last three seasons. Prior to the last two years, he averaged about 7 QB hits per 17 games. If he returns to that form, he’s not going to be worth the $20 million per year price of admission.

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