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Ravens trade for Yannick Ngakoue, honing in on Super Bowl

By Sravan Gannavarapu

MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA - OCTOBER 18: Ito Smith #25 of the Atlanta Falcons avoids a tackle against Yannick Ngakoue #91 of the Minnesota Vikings during the game at U.S. Bank Stadium on October 18, 2020 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images)
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA - OCTOBER 18: Ito Smith #25 of the Atlanta Falcons avoids a tackle against Yannick Ngakoue #91 of the Minnesota Vikings during the game at U.S. Bank Stadium on October 18, 2020 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images) /
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After six weeks of play and five sacks, Yannick Ngakoue is on the move from Minnesota to Baltimore.

Vikings DE Yannick Ngakoue won’t be changing his wardrobe much as he still gets to wear purple this season, but it’ll be for a different team.

ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported on Thursday that the former Jaguar has been traded from the Vikings to the Ravens. Baltimore receives the talented Ngakoue in exchange for a 2021 third-round pick and a 2022 conditional fifth-round pick, essentially recouping what they sent to Jacksonville to acquire him this offseason.

As most will recall, Ngakoue was acquired by the Vikings earlier this year from Jacksonville for a 2021 second-round pick and a conditional fifth-round pick in 2022. That’s

Before coming to Minnesota, Ngakoue was a very productive pass rusher in Jacksonville and was part of the Jaguars miracle run to the AFC Championship. As a member of DUVAL, he recorded 37.5 sacks and forced 14 fumbles while earning a Pro Bowl nod in 2017.

However, his last few years in Jacksonville were not so fortunate given the state of affairs with the team. Thus, he was traded to Minnesota where he is tied for fourth in the NFL with five sacks on the season. Now, he gets an opportunity to join a Super Bowl contender with the Baltimore Ravens.

Yannick Ngakoue may be the missing piece for a Ravens Super Bowl run

This deal has both risks and rewards as Ngakoue still needs to get paid if they want him long-term, as do Ronnie Stanley, Orlando Brown and, of course, Lamar Jackson. The Ravens on the other hand, have a way of getting deals done with key players while letting others venture on for greener pastures.

In Ngakoue, the Ravens acquire a guy that can line up alongside Matthew Judon and Patrick Queen in the linebacker corps and provide a boost to a pass rush that has been lacked for much of this season. In addition, the history of defense in Baltimore is mesmerizing with players such as Ray Lewis, Terrell Suggs and Ed Reed

In no way is Ngakoue like those players, but he is productive and his motor is relentless, traits that the folks in Baltimore will accept and deem worthy of their colors and their name.

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With the Steelers set to come on the schedule, the Ravens will need all the help they can get to slow down their bitter rivals, and Ngakoue checks all the boxes. The race for the AFC North title, and the Super Bowl as well, just got more interesting.

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