Jaguars’ Yannick Ngakoue Drawing Trade Interest

Jaguars defensive end Yannick Ngakoue is still drawing trade interest around the league as the deadline draws near, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter) hears. There are also still many roadblocks to a potential deal, including the Jaguars’ lack of interest in actually parting ways with the young edge rusher. 

The Jags and Ngakoue are effectively playing a game of chicken at this point. Ngakoue wants out, and he’s reportedly prepared to sit out the entire 2020 season if he doesn’t get the trade he wants. Plenty of teams would like to add Ngakoue, but they’d have to cough up significant compensation and give him a payday to match, or at least approach, his free market value. That likely means a deal in excess of $100MM, with a large chunk paid up front, plus guarantees. That’s an especially tough sell in the current climate.

Teams may also be skittish about Ngakoue’s ability to reproduce his previous sack totals. The former third-round pick has posted at least eight sacks in four of his five pro seasons, but he finished just 25th in pressures last year (51), per Pro Football Focus. Other metrics like ESPN’s pass rush win rate and double-team rate also portrayed him as less-than-elite.

The Raiders gave the Jaguars a ring during the draft, but the talks didn’t get too far. The Eagles were eyeing Ngakoue earlier this year, but even before the pandemic, they were facing a 2021 cap crunch.

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