Jacksonville Jaguars: Another team linked to DE Yannick Ngakoue
By David Levin
Rumors continue to swirl regarding the future of Jacksonville Jaguars defensive end Yannick Ngakoue. Does he stay in DUUUVAL or will another team sign him in free agency?
Just as I have mentioned before, until the Jacksonville Jaguars finally make a decision on what they want to do regarding the contract and future of defensive and Yannick Ngakoue, rumors are going to swirl over his future.
Whether it’s in a black and teal uniform or if he’s playing somewhere else in the NFL in 2020 has become a burning question here in Jacksonville.
As Joe Kipp of FanSided.com wrote this weekend, the New York Giants may be one of those teams who have an interest in the star pass rusher. It makes sense that Ngakoue, who has 37.5 sacks in four seasons here in Jacksonville, would immediately bolster the Giants’ defensive front.
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"“According to Spotrac, the Giants currently hold an estimated $61 million in cap space for the 2020 season,” Kipp wrote.“Of course, there will be plenty of moves in the meantime, starting with releasing players that are cap casualties. That said, the Giants are a very young team, so adding veteran players in free agency to complement an influx of youth in the draft makes sense.”"
The Jaguars, on the other hand, must make major decisions regarding their camp situation. Depending on various sources, the Jaguars are either right above the Line, with somewhere around $1 million to play with, or deeper in trouble than they may be able to overcome without releasing big-name veterans.
This doesn’t mean that signing Ngakoue would be easy if that would happen. It just means there would be some cap relief to afford his 2020 contract.
The Jaguars do need his services this coming season, especially since Calais Campbell, although a Pro Bowl player last season, is advancing in age. Expecting Josh Allen, the rookie sensation out of Kentucky from this past season, to carry the load of the pass rush is asking a lot of the second-year player.
"“Similarly to Dante Fowler, defensive end Yannick Ngakoue would add a much-needed boost to the Giants’ pass rush in 2020,” Kipp adds.“Aside from Lorenzo Carter, no edge rusher had a marked impact for New York this past season. Adding another young, promising rusher like Ngakoue would only help accelerate Carter’s development.”"
If the Jaguars do you intend to sign him to a long-term deal, what is the dollar figure they’re willing to spend? It’s been estimated Ngakoue should get a contract somewhere in the range of $17-18 million a year, which is slightly lower than what the team was alleged before the 2019 season.
General manager David Caldwell still expects a deal to get done. It’s still may take a while for that to happen. It has still yet to be played out, but Jaguars could place the franchise tag on Ngakoue, which guarantees of services on the roster for 2020 while they work out a long-term deal with his agent.
Another scenario is the team could franchise him and seek a deal to trade him this offseason.
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