The Green Bay Packers beat the Chicago Bears 31-7 on Sunday, but the win came with another painful loss on defense. Defensive tackle Javon Hargrave suffered what looks like a serious injury, and it may also be season-ending. The veteran signed a two-year, $23 million contract with the Packers in the offseason after the Minnesota Vikings released him.

Packers head coach Matt LaFleur didn’t sound optimistic when he addressed Hargrave’s status, mentioning the team thinks it’s an Achilles injury.

“I just saw Hargrave, and it doesn’t look good,” LaFleur said. “That kind of takes the air out of the room a little bit when you lose not only a great player, but a great guy and a key piece to this team. It puts a little bit of a cloud on the day. I’m excited for our team and our guys. But anytime you see a player get hurt, especially at a meaningless point in the game, it’s deflating.”

One week ago, linebacker Edgerrin Cooper suffered a ruptured Achilles and was lost for the season. Now Green Bay faces a reality where Hargrave might also miss the rest of the season with the same injury. The team also lost right tackle Zach Bako-Bewele (knee) and wide receiver Jayden Reed (neck) to season-ending injuries.

Packers’ defensive tackle depth takes another hit

The timing is rough because the Packers were already dealing with several injuries on the interior of the defensive line. Excluding Hargrave, Green Bay has five defensive tackles on the 53-man roster.

One of them, Anthony Campbell, has missed the past few games with an ankle injury. He could return next week against the Dallas Cowboys, but that isn’t a certainty yet. If he does, his return would be truly impactful for a group that suddenly lacks bodies.

The other four interior defensive linemen are Devonte Wyatt, Karl Brooks, Jonathan Ford, and rookie third-round pick Chris McClellan.

Help isn’t close, either. Warren Brinson is on injured reserve and must miss at least a few more games before he is eligible to return. Jordon Riley remains on the physically unable to perform list. He is technically eligible to come off PUP already, but the Packers haven’t opened his practice window, so it might take some time before he returns from the Achilles injury he suffered late last season. Additionally, the Packers have David Blay Jr. on the practice squad. He signed with Green Bay on Sept. 30.

Hargrave was contributing at a solid level

Green Bay invested a lot of money in Hargrave and had high expectations for him as a veteran presence along the defensive line. For the most part, he was delivering. Through the first few games, Hargrave played 123 defensive snaps, generated six pressures, and posted a solid 72.0 run defense grade, according to PFF.

But more than that, Hargrave is 33 years old. An Achilles rupture is one of the hardest injuries to come back from at that age, and it could be a career-altering injury for him.

Contract situation points to a possible exit

That may very well have been Hargrave’s final game as a member of the Packers. And that’s because of how his deal was structured.

The only guaranteed money in his two-year, $23 million contract was the $10.5 million signing bonus. Next season, he is slated to make $10 million, and releasing him would leave $5.25 million in dead cap while saving the Packers $4.75 million in cap space.

If general manager Brian Gutekunst doesn’t see a 34-year-old Hargrave, coming off an Achilles injury, as an important part of the defense, a release becomes a realistic scenario.

It is an unfortunate situation for a player the Packers placed a lot of hope in, and one who was performing at a reasonable level in his first few games in Green Bay. Now he’s potentially out for the season, and after just a handful of games, his career with the Packers might already be over.