DeForest Buckner couldn’t help but notice something familiar about Javon Hargrave’s reported free agent contract with the 49ers.
San Francisco caused a stir Monday morning when it agreed to sign the former Philadelphia Eagles defensive tackle to a four-year, $84 million deal in free agency.
By adding Hargrave, the 49ers bolstered their defensive line alongside Arik Armstead with a star tackle, the caliber of which they hadn’t had since Buckner in 2019.
After the deal was announced, the former 49ers defensive lineman spoke with Mike Silver of the San Francisco Chronicle, where he noticed a similarity between Hargraves’ advertised contract and the exact contract he has. received (four years, $84 million) from the Indianapolis Colts after being traded. of San Francisco in the 2020 offseason.
“Great for him!” Buckner told Silver. “It’s just funny how they literally gave him the same contract.”
Unable to find a contract extension with the 49ers after his second All-Pro team selection in 2019, Buckner was traded to the Colts in exchange for the No. 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 was unable to stay healthy and his future with the team looks bleak. Since the trade, Buckner received a 2020 First-Team All-Pro selection and was named to his second career Pro Bowl in 2021.
It took three seasons and a hefty contract that the team didn’t want to give Buckner, but the 49ers finally found his replacement.
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