After months of fans awaiting an update, the Jacksonville Jaguars have made contact with defensive end Yannick Ngakoue, per general manager Dave Caldwell who met virtually with the media Tuesday.
This news comes after NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero reported that Ngakoue parted ways with his agent, Ari Nissim, who he had been with since 2018. However, despite Caldwell saying that he and Ngakoue had been in contact, the veteran general manager didn’t offer much more, stating that it would be best not to speak for Ngakoue, who remains unsigned technically.
“As far as the Yannick situation goes, I think you’d have to talk to him,” Caldwell said Tuesday. “I’m very cautious of speaking for him. … He’s earned the right to do what’s best for him and his family, so I’m going to defer any of his future questions to him and try to keep our conversations between he and I.”
This offseason has been somewhat of a roller coaster when it comes to both parties. It all started back in early March when Ngakoue said he didn’t want a long-term deal with the Jags. Despite that, the team franchise tagged him, which led to Ngakoue having an altercation with front office member Tony Khan on Twitter. Needless to say, things didn’t go as planned for Ngakoue as the Jags have stood firm on their price for him, which is seemingly so high that no team has been able to come up with the right compensation.
Since Khan and Ngakoue’s altercation on Twitter, the draft has passed and the deadline for Ngakoue to get a long-term deal has passed, which seemingly made Ngakoue part ways with his representation.
Unfortunately, Caldwell didn’t comment on Ngakoue discussing a return so it appears fans will be left playing the waiting game. That said, Ngakoue’s first order of business will be to find new representation as he’s currently in a five-day period where he must wait before hiring a new agent. Regardless as to what Ngakoue decides to do on his end, at least he’s now communicating with the team though it’s uncertain where things will lead.
