With news coming Monday morning of Yannick Ngakoue’s desire to play elsewhere in 2020, the Jacksonville Jaguars have made the decision to use their franchise tag on the former Pro Bowler. Unfortunately for the team, Ngakoue’s stance could lead to a trade, which general manager Dave Caldwell would have to orchestrate.
Make no mistake about it, using the franchise tag on Ngakoue is 100% the correct thing to do. At just 24 years old, there certainly will be interest in Ngakoue because good young pass-rushers are simply hard to find.
To lose a player of Ngakoue’s caliber for nothing would have been a devastating blow for Jacksonville. Now, Caldwell can explore the trade market and gain more ammunition for next month’s draft — that is if he wants.
The question then remains, who is willing to partner the Jaguars in a trade? Below is a list of some possible scenarios that could unfold before the starting of the 2020 season:
Miami Dolphins
With no illusions that the Dolphins will be using some of their ammunition to make a move for a franchise quarterback, it makes a ton of sense for Chris Grier to also secure the team’s long-term future at the next most important position by trading for Ngakoue.
With very little edge depth in this year’s class, it’s unlikely that the Dolphins would be able to secure an impact player of Ngakoue’s caliber with either the No. 18 or No. 26 picks. Whilst the idea of trading a first-rounder for someone who then wants to sign a contract averaging $22 million a year is scary, the Dolphins have plenty of cap space to do so. They currently have over $88 million in available space, good for first in the league and more than enough to absorb such a contract.
Baltimore Ravens
The Ravens were going to select Ngakoue in 2016 with pick No. 70, but the Jags beat them to it, and they’ve been associated with him in free-agency rumors. The former Maryland Terp also has ties to the area and would fill the most important offseason need on Baltimore’s roster as they look to win another AFC North title.
Picking at No. 28, the Ravens would be playing copycat to this year’s Super Bowl champions the Kansas City Chiefs, who just last year traded away their late first-round pick for a Pro Bowl pass-rusher in Frank Clark.
Having seen the success that being aggressive for edge-rushers has brought one of their closest rivals, the Ravens would do well to make a move for Ngakoue.
Seattle Seahawks
The Seattle Seahawks are no strangers to the tag-and-trade market, having acquired Jadeveon Clowney last off-season, mere months after trading Frank Clark to the Kansas City Chiefs.
With the agreement in place that the Seahawks aren’t able to use their own franchise tag on Clowney — a pending free agent — there is a very real possibility that the two-time Super Bowl champions are soon going to be back in the market for a pass-rusher.
It’s no secret that Ngakoue wants to win games, having shown his frustration with Jacksonville’s inability to sustain the momentum they had in 2017. That said, he shouldn’t have a problem with moving out west.
Thankfully for the Jaguars, if Seattle was interested in making a trade then the negotiations shouldn’t be strenuous given that the Seahawks have danced this particular tango twice before. Pete Carroll and company know the importance of a pass-rusher and Ngakoue would be a scheme fit after spending four years under a Carroll disciple in Wash.
New York Giants
The New York media has campaigned for the Giants to make a move for Ngakoue since the end of the 2019 season. The main reason for this is that the Giants haven’t had a prominent pass-rusher since Jason Pierre-Paul’s freak injury in 2015. Former general manager Jerry Reese did invest in Olivier Vernon back in 2016, but he never tallied more than 8.5 sacks in a season during his time there.
The Giants desperately want to get back to playing disruptive defense, and with their pick just outside of the range of landing Chase Young, perhaps the next best solution is to trade for Ngakoue. A package deal would be an interesting discussion here, with the Jaguars unlikely to accept pick 36 if other teams are offering first-rounders.
Ultimately, time will tell if the Giants want to get involved in the rumors surrounding Ngakoue, and if they do, it might require them to get creative to land him.
New York Jets
Like their in-state rivals, the New York Jets could use help in the trenches. They’ve sunk significant draft-capital into the defensive line in recent years, including Quinnen Williams (No. 3 overall pick from 2019), and two second-round picks in Nathan Shepherd and Jachai Polite. With mixed success coming from those investments, it makes sense for Joe Douglas to try and secure a proven pass-rusher instead.
Whether the Jets would be comfortable packaging the 11th overall pick in a potential trade for Ngakoue remains to be seen, but it would certainly give the Jaguars front office incentive to orchestrate a deal.
