Jacksonville Jaguars: Is Yannick Ngakoue on the Colts’ radar?

If Yannick Ngakoue does not remain with the Jacksonville Jaguars and hits free agency, will another team in the AFC South look to sign him to a long-term deal?

I’ve got to hand it to my friends over at Horseshoe Heroes, FanSided.com’s site for everything having to do with the Indianapolis Colts. As they take a look at the Jacksonville Jaguars, their AFC South rival this off-season and impending free agency, what better way to fleece the team here in North Florida by signing Yannick Ngakoue to a long-term deal once the 2020 NFL season officially begins.

As Jacob Schyvinck writes…

"“If you’ve followed along here at Horseshoe Heroes, you know that our team has talked about a lot of pending free agents coming to Indianapolis. One of the most notable names in free agency is Jadeveon Clowney, who will likely command a deal nearing $20 million per season.“If the Colts want to shell out big money for a free agent, instead of considering Clowney, there’s another pass rusher who could make a big impact: Jaguars free agent Yannick Ngakoue.”"

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Both defensive stars will be amongst the top-sought free agents this offseason and the Colts figure to take a swing at signing either one, should they hit the open market.

It is still possible the Jaguars place the franchise tag on Ngakoue to keep him under contract through 2020 so a long-term deal could be finalized. The other thought is to use the franchise tag to work a trade for the fourth-year star where the Jaguars could receive compensation.

Indianapolis’ interest does make sense because it gives the Colts another added dimension to the defense, and with plenty of cap space available, the Colts front office is one of the few teams that might be able to offer Ngakoue the type of deal he is looking for, which rivals the top pass rushers in the NFL

Also given the Jaguars situation with the salary cap, it may be difficult to grant Ngakoue’s wish wishes and be able to keep key veterans on the roster like Calais Campbell, A.J. Bouye and Andrew Norwell.

There is no denying Ngakoue’s worth to the Jaguars, having register 37.5 sacks and 14 forced fumbles over the past four years. The former third-round pick his outplayed his contract and was seeking a long-term deal prior to the 2019 season before negotiations between the team and his agent broke off.

The Colts are not the only team that is rumored to show interest in Ngakoue. He has been linked to the Saints, Jets, Giants, and Bills in separate stories across the Internet. For both team’s it becomes a matter of dollars and sense.

"“As a bonus, Ngakoue’s projected market value is around $17.1 million per season, close to $3 million less than Clowney’s projected value, per Spotrac,” Schyvinck writes."

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Ngakoue was believed to be offered a four-year deal from the Jaguars before the start of the 2019 season with an average salary of $19 per season.