Seahawks Interested In Yannick Ngakoue?
A year after being part of two tag-and-trade transactions involving edge rushers, the Seahawks may be interested in another such move.
The Seahawks are interested in Yannick Ngakoue, Tony Pauline of ProFootballNetwork.com notes. The Jaguars are expected to use their franchise tag on the veteran defensive end, but Ngakoue has let it be known he is no longer interested in signing a long-term deal to stay in Jacksonville.
While Ngakoue is set to be tagged, he profiles as a tag-and-trade candidate. Last year, the Seahawks franchised Frank Clark and traded him to the Chiefs before acquiring Texans franchise player Jadeveon Clowney via August trade. Seattle remains interested in extending Clowney before he becomes a free agent March 18 but may not be willing to make a major bid to retain the pass rusher. The former No. 1 overall pick is predictably receiving extensive interest as he prepares to be a first-time UFA.
It cost the Chiefs first- and second-round picks to acquire Clark, a zero-time Pro Bowler in Seattle who registered 35 sacks in his four Seahawk seasons, and a third-rounder last April. Ngakoue has one Pro Bowl on his resume, in 2017, and has 37.5 sacks through four seasons. Because of the Clark trade, Seattle holds two second-round picks this year.
Jaguars GM Dave Caldwell has accumulated 10 draft picks this year, two coming from the Jalen Ramsey and A.J. Bouye trades. He expressed interest in acquiring more, per John Reid of the Florida Times-Union. Jacksonville’s eighth-year GM said earlier this year keeping Ngakoue was his top offseason priority, but with Ngakoue the second Jags 2016 draftee to inform the franchise he wants out in the past six months, will the franchise begin tag-and-trade negotiations?
Jaguars Not Actively Shopping Nick Foles, Receiving Interest
We heard a couple of days ago that the Jaguars were looking to ship out Nick Foles, but that might not be entirely accurate. While they are going to listen in trade talks, Jacksonville is “not shopping” Foles, sources told Mike Garafolo of NFL Network (Twitter video link). 
However, Garafolo does caution that the quarterback could still certainly be traded. He also reports that multiple teams have reached out to the Jaguars and expressed interest in Foles. The previous report indicated that the Jags would have a tough time finding a taker for Foles’ contract and might have to add something to sweeten the deal like in the infamous Brock Osweiler trade, but Garafolo says that Jacksonville will need to receive compensation from a team to move him.
Those are obviously conflicting sentiments about Foles’ trade value, and as always the truth could lie somewhere in between. No matter what a deal would look like, it’s notable that teams are reaching out. Garafolo notes that Foles is currently slated to compete with Gardner Minshew to be the team’s starting quarterback, and he speculates that Foles himself would welcome a fresh start.
Foles will count for more than $22MM against the cap next season, and a team would have to take a $12.5MM cap hit if they wanted to move on from him after 2020. Foles obviously wants to be a starter, but that might be prove to be tough. It’s an unusually crowded year on the veteran quarterback market, and plenty of guys will be ahead of him in line to find new homes. He’s also perhaps too high profile and too expensive for any team to want him as a backup, so it’ll be very interesting to see what happens here.
Jaguars To Trade A.J. Bouye To Broncos
The Broncos have themselves a new cornerback. On Tuesday, GM John Elway struck a deal with the Jaguars to acquire A.J. Bouye, as Mike Klis of 9News tweets. Klis notes in a separate tweet that multiple teams were interested in trading for Bouye, but he preferred to be dealt to Denver, and Jacksonville GM Dave Caldwell made it happen.
In exchange, the Jaguars will receive a 2020 fourth-round pick (Twitter link via ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter). The trade will be officially processed on March 18, when the new league year kicks off.
Once finalized, the Broncos will assume the $13.4MM owed to him in 2020 and the $13.5MM coming to him in 2021. The Broncos will honor that deal “for now,” Klis writes, so it sounds like the Broncos may look to restructure the contract once all of the dust settles.
The deal, in all likelihood, will mark the end of Chris Harris‘ tenure in Denver. Harris is set for free agency and he was already preparing himself to move on. The arrival of Bouye all but seals it. This also means that the Broncos will be less bullish on this year’s crop of free agent CBs, which includes notables like James Bradberry, Josh Norman, Logan Ryan, and Byron Jones.
Bouye teamed with Jalen Ramsey two years ago to help form one of the most talented secondary units in the NFL and aid the Jags in their run to the AFC title game. Now, that whole group has been revamped.
Instead, the Jaguars are choosing to retool and they’ll have a bevy of draft picks to make that happen. With the trade, they’ll have ten picks in the 2020 NFL Draft, with six of those picks coming in the first four rounds and two in the first round. As Schefter (Twitter link) notes, they’ve also got nine picks in 2021. And, in both years, they’ve got two picks in Round 1 and Round 4. The Jaguars will also have more to spend – by dealing Bouye, the Jaguars have cleared an additional $11.4MM in cap space.
Last year, Bouye recorded 65 tackles and one interception for the Jaguars. Still, he didn’t fit the Jaguars’ plans – Jacksonville would have released Bouye if they didn’t find a deal for him, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com hears (via Twitter).
Jaguars Want To Trade QB Nick Foles
If the Jaguars have their way, it’ll be Minshew Mania again in 2020. ESPN’s Dan Graziano and Jeremy Fowler report that the Jaguars “want to go with Gardner Minshew as their starting QB” next season. As a result, the organization would like to find a taker for Nick Foles.
However, as the two reporters point out, it might not be easy to trade the veteran quarterback, and the Jaguars will have to “sweeten the deal, either with a pick or by paying part of the salary.” Last offseason, Jacksonville signed the former Super Bowl MVP to a whopping four-year deal worth $50.1MM guaranteed. The veteran will count for more than $22MM against the cap next season, although teams could have an out (with a $12.5MM cap hit) following the 2020 campaign.
It’s not too surprising that the Jaguars are opting for the younger option. While Foles didn’t play horribly in his four starts, the team still went 0-4 with him under center. The Jaguars improved to 6-6 with Minshew at quarterback, and the rookie finished the season with a top-10 interception rate.
Foles could theoretically be a fallback option for a squad that misses out on their free agent or trade targets. However, considering the 2020 salary and modest future investment, rival teams may choose to use their money elsewhere.
Jaguars’ Yannick Ngakoue Wants Out
The Jaguars will use their franchise tag on Yannick Ngakoue, sources tell ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter (on Twitter). Meanwhile, the pass rusher took to Twitter on Monday morning to announce that he is not interested in a long-term deal with the club. 
“The Jaguars are aware I no longer have interest in signing a long term contract in Jacksonville,” Ngakoue tweeted. “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.”
At this point, it seems like the Jaguars will wind up having to tag-and-trade the standout defensive end. They’ll find plenty of interest in him if that’s the case – over the last four years, Ngakoue has notched 37.5 sacks for the Jaguars and 14 forced fumbles (fourth in the NFL in that span, behind only Khalil Mack, Chandler Jones, and T.J. Watt. He’s been durable as well; he never missed a game until last year.
The soon-to-be 25-year-old had another standout campaign in 2019, finishing with 41 tackles, eight sacks, six passes defended, and four forced fumbles. The former third-rounder discussed an extension with the team last offseason, but those talks did not lead to a deal and it seems that he is not long for Jacksonville.
The franchise tag for defensive ends is expected to cost upwards of $19MM for 2020.
Jags Prepared To Tag Yannick Ngakoue
- No surprise here, but the Jaguars are prepared to use their franchise tag on Yannick Ngakoue, La Canfora adds. The standout defensive end held out from Jags offseason activities last year and will not be pleased the team will prevent him from hitting the market, per JLC. The Jaguars not picking up Marcell Dareus‘ option freed up $20MM in cap space, giving them just more than $21MM — just enough for an approximately $18MM Ngakoue tag. GM Dave Caldwell called Ngakoue the team’s top priority at the end of last season.
Jaguars To Decline Jake Ryan’s Option
Marcell Dareus isn’t the only Jaguars defender who will have his option declined. The Jaguars will also decline the 2020 option for linebacker Jake Ryan, as NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport tweets.
Had his option been exercised, $1MM of Ryan’s $5.5MM base salary would have been guaranteed for the coming season. Instead, they’ll wipe that out, and carve out some badly needed cap room.
At the start of the offseason, the Jaguars had just over $1MM in available cap space. By shedding Dareus and Ryan, they’ve carved out a bit of flexibility as they look to keep Yannick Ngakoue and address needs on both sides of the ball.
These were not particularly tough calls, and more cap clearing moves are likely on the way. Tight end Geoff Swaim and oft-injured receiver Marqise Lee are also expected to be dropped. In total, those four moves would save them more than $34MM. They can find even more space by cutting or trading Calais Campbell to save $15MM, though they’d probably prefer to find middle ground with him by way of an extension.
Ryan, who turns 28 this week, missed all of the 2018 season thanks to an ACL tear and played in just two games last year. Before that, he started in 27 games for the Packers between 2015 and 2017.
Jaguars To Decline Marcell Dareus’ Option
The Jaguars will decline Marcell Dareus‘ option, according to NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport (on Twitter). The option would have locked in roughly $20MM in salary for the defensive tackle. Instead, the Jaguars will officially turn it down before the Tuesday deadline. 
[RELATED: Looking Back At Blake Bortles’ Extension]
Dareus missed the bulk of the 2019 season thanks to a core muscle injury. In six games, he notched 13 tackles and half of a sack.
The news doesn’t come as a real surprise – the multiple-time Pro Bowler is coming up on his 30th birthday and the Jaguars have a number of needs to address this offseason. By moving on, they’ll clear the bulk of his would-be ~$20MM in earnings; they’ll be left with just $2.5MM in dead money.
The Jaguars acquired Dareus from the Bills midway through the 2017 season, taking on the remainder of his six-year, $95.1MM contract. At that point, Dareus had worn out his welcome with Buffalo coaches and the trade was pretty much a cap dump for Buffalo. The Jags only gave up a late-round draft pick for him.
Unless he’s brought back on a cheaper deal, Dareus will leave the Jaguars after appearing in 30 games (22 starts). Dareus might not have been worth the sizable paycheck for 2020, but that’s not to say that he didn’t deliver at times. In 2018, Dareus’ only full season with the Jaguars that wasn’t compromised by injury, his advanced metrics were roughly in line with his best work in Buffalo. If he’s healthy, he can still be a difference-maker and a quality run-stuffer for some team out there, but he’ll have to sign for something less than ~$20MM per annum.
With Dareus’ salary off of the books, the Jaguars can turn their attention to higher priorities, including a new deal for defensive end Yannick Ngakoue.
This Date In Transactions History: Jaguars Extend Blake Bortles
Two years ago today, the Jaguars took themselves out of the quarterback market by committing to Blake Bortles for three more years. The move was widely panned and, ultimately, it did not work out for Jacksonville. 
The Jaguars were fresh off of an AFC Championship Game appearance and their first playoff appearance in nine years. Bortles, meanwhile, tossed a career-low 13 interceptions. Still, his overall body of work did not inspire a ton of confidence – his 60.2% completion percentage actually marked a new career best.
Despite the question marks, Bortles became the first 2014 first-round pick to receive an extension – stars like Giants wide receiver Odell Beckham, Rams defensive lineman Aaron Donald, and Raiders linebacker Khalil Mack were still negotiating for their new deals (They all, of course, secured long-term riches, though Mack has to get his elsewhere.)
Reported to be a three-year, $54MM pact, the deal included $26.5MM guaranteed with the potential to reach $66.5MM in total through bonuses. He did not earn those incentives, nor did he get to play out his deal – Bortles was cut loose in 2019, clearing the way for Nick Foles to take over.
Bortles went 3-9 in 12 starts for the Jaguars as head coach Doug Marrone flip-flopped him with Cody Kessler. During his five-year run with the Jaguars, Bortles led the league with 75 interceptions – more than one INT per start.
With his stock at an all-time low, the former No. 3 overall pick hooked on with the Rams last offseason. Playing behind Jared Goff, Bortles appeared in only three games and attempted two passes. Without a real opportunity to play in 2019, Bortles did not get a chance to silence his critics. Next month, he’ll be a free agent once again, and the Rams’ level of interest in bringing him back as their QB2 is unclear.
Jaguars Exercise Options On WR Chris Conley, S Jarrod Wilson
The Jaguars picked up team options on a pair of players yesterday. The team announced that they exercised their team options on wideout Chris Conley and safety Jarrod Wilson.
Conley, a 2015 third-round pick, spent his first four seasons with the Chiefs. He inked a deal with the Jaguars last offseason, and he proceeded to set career-highs across the board, finishing with 47 receptions for 775 receiving yards and five touchdowns. The option will keep him in Jacksonville through the 2020 season.
Wilson joined the Jaguars as an undrafted free agent back in 2016, and he’s emerged as a dependable starter for the organization. In 16 starts last season, the 26-year-old led the team in snaps played (1,186) and tackles (73). He also contributed a pair of interceptions and six passes defended. The option keeps him under contract through the 2021 campaign.