Yannick Ngakoue will be franchise tagged by the Jaguars but wants out of Jacksonville. So which five NFL teams could make a trade for the pass-rusher?
Since the Jacksonville Jaguars selected him as a third-round pick from Maryland in the 2016 NFL Draft, pass-rusher Yannick Ngakoue has far out-performed his draft status. But as his rookie contract has come up and with him set to become an unrestricted free agent entering 2020, the Jaguars are trying to keep him around for a bit longer, placing the franchise tag on him on Monday, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter, which will pay him $19.3 million for the season.
It stands to reason why the Jaguars would want to keep Ngakoue. He’s had at least 8.0 sacks in each of his four seasons, has been reliable in missing only one game over his young career, has totaled 37.5 sacks, 14 forced fumbles and 42 tackles for loss and has simply been dominant. However, keeping him long-term doesn’t appear like an option.
After Schefter’s report regarding the franchise tag, Ngakoue took to Twitter himself to address the situation, saying that he’s informed the Jaguars he won’t sign a new deal with Jacksonville:
The Jaguars are aware I no longer have interest in signing a long term contract in Jacksonville. Duval, I love you and gave you guys everything I got. I’m thankful for the journey and look forward to continuing my career elsewhere. -91
— Yannick Ngakoue (@YannickNgakoue) March 2, 2020
As valuable of a player as Ngakoue has been, the Jaguars can’t be stubborn in this situation. If they’re going to eventually lose the pass-rusher, they can’t do so without getting some type of value in return. Subsequently, trading him and recouping some draft capital for the Maryland product would be in their best interest.
Where could Yannick Ngakoue possibly be traded? Let’s take a look at five NFL teams the Jaguars could do business with to get something back for the pass-rusher. (Note: All salary cap figures are courtesy of Over the Cap.)
5. Seattle Seahawks
Available Cap Space: $43.64 million
Just last offseason, the Seattle Seahawks identified a need at defensive end and were aggressive in the trade market to fix that hole. They made a trade for Jadeveon Clowney with the Texans and, while the former No. 1 overall pick wasn’t particularly productive in 2019, his play on the field was highly effective.
But now the Seahawks are in a position where they must again retool their defensive line. Clowney, as Seattle never reached a long-term deal with him, is set to hit free agency, as is Ezekiel Ansah and defensive tackle Jarran Reed. General manager John Schneider must find a way to fix the position, especially if he doesn’t believe they can re-sign Clowney.
Trading for Yannick Ngakoue would help them a great deal in doing that and it leaves their options open in a big way. The Seahawks could run the same strategy back by trading for the former third-round pick as a one-year rental or could go all in and potentially sign him long term for a deal that would likely come a bit cheaper than the one Clowney will sign.
Because they aren’t particularly set up with a ton of cap space, Seattle can’t afford to take unnecessary risks this offseason if they want to keep their championship window with Russell Wilson open. Given his health and production, trading for Ngakoue would fit into that mold for the Seahawks.