Category: Yannick Ngakoue

Here are the Jags’ 22 pending free agents for 2020

The Jacksonville Jaguars have over 20 players who will be free agents, but Yannick Ngakoue is obviously the top name.

With Tom Coughlin now gone and a new power structure in place, Jacksonville Jaguars general manager Dave Caldwell and the organization’s front office will now only have to answer to Shad Khan, which is how they did things early in Caldwell’s tenure. While that may make things less complicated, Caldwell still has his work cut out for him with the upcoming free agency period for 2020 as the Jags are projected to be over the cap by $972,783. That’s a total that would put them at 30th in the league.

The Jags are scheduled to have 22 free agents hit the market this spring, but luckily, there is only one pending restricted free agent and starter who the Jags can’t lose — and that’s edge rusher Yannick Ngakoue. However, to do that, they will need to decide on some players with high cap figures like Calais Campbell, A.J. Bouye, Marcell Dareus, Marqise Lee, Jake Ryan, and Geoff Swaim just to name a few.

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There are also some reserves who will be pending free agents that the Jags may want to consider keeping, too. Tight ends Seth DeValve and Nick O’Leary could be solid backup tight ends. Keelan Cole, who will be a restricted free agent, should be likely to come back as the argument could be made that he played better than Dede Westbrook in 2019.

On defense, the Jags have a few depth pieces at linebacker who should be under consideration to return. Donald Payne (restricted), Najee Goode and Austin Calitro all received a lot of snaps with Myles Jack and Quincy Williams going on injured reserve, and their experience gained in 2019 could make them perfect for spot duties if the Jags need players who could temporarily start a game or two.

Here’s the list of all 22 of the Jags’ pending free agents with expiring contracts, per Over the Cap:

Note: Players are listed by snap count. Also, Alfred Blue was cut by the Jags earlier in October of 2019.

 

GM Dave Caldwell calls getting Yannick Ngakoue re-signed Jags’ No. 1 priority

The Jacksonville Jaguars announced that both general manager Dave Caldwell and coach Doug Marrone would be returning to their roles in 2020 after owner Shad Khan met with both Tuesday and throughout the previous week. After the news broke, both got …

The Jacksonville Jaguars announced that both general manager Dave Caldwell and coach Doug Marrone would be returning to their roles in 2020 after owner Shad Khan met with both Tuesday and throughout the previous week. After the news broke, both got back to work and had a presser for the media, which provided some details on where the team will go from here.

There was a lot to unpack from the presser but the most important nugget to take from it was that Doug Marrone and Dave Caldwell want pending free-agent edge rusher Yannick Ngakoue back on a long-term deal.

″I think you guys all know in this room how both Doug and I feel about Yannick through our conversations over the years,″ Caldwell said Tuesday. ″He is a tremendous player and even a better person. How he handled his business this year was tremendous. But I would say that’s priority No. 1 to make sure he comes back to Jacksonville and that he’s a Jacksonville Jaguar. Hopefully, we can get that done where he’s here for a long period of time.″

Ngakoue has been the topic of the last two postseason’s being that he’s one of the Jags’ best young players who they would be wise to keep being that they have a strong young nucleus of talent. In the postseason of 2018, there was what fans felt was a lackadaisical attempt to sign Ngakoue with Tom Coughlin leading the way. However, with a new power structure and Caldwell now answering only to Shad Khan, it appears the veteran general manager will look to do whatever he can to retain what looks to be his best remaining draft pick.

Ngakoue has been nothing short of phenomenal for the Jags since being drafted in the third-round of the 2016 NFL Draft. In totality, he’s managed to accumulate 122 career tackles, 37.5 career sacks (good for the second-highest total in franchise history) and has been a turnover machine with 14 career forced fumbles. Simply put, he’s been a model player for the locker room and Caldwell likely knows what has to be done to start moving away from Coughlin’s culture which felt like it was more about punishing players than rewarding them.

The first order of business will be for Caldwell to get the Jags’ cap situation right, which will involve parting ways with some key veterans and restructuring some pricey contracts. Once that’s done, the Jags should likely lay low in free-agency and focus on taking care of Ngakoue instead of burning a lot of cash on players from other teams as they’ve done in the past.

As for the contract he could be looking for, he may be looking to top Demarcus Lawrence’s five-year contract worth $105 million with $65 million guaranteed after having one of his better all-around seasons as a pass-rusher and run defender. Sure, it won’t be an easy deal to iron out, but maybe with some cap gymnastics, the Jags can finally pay a player who has earned his money accordingly.

Yannick Ngakoue remains unsure about his future with Jags

The Jacksonville Jaguars concluded their 2019 season with a 38-20 loss over the Indianapolis Colts, ending what was a lackluster season on a high note. The media was able to catch up with several players after the victory including pass-rusher …

The Jacksonville Jaguars concluded their 2019 season with a 38-20 loss over the Indianapolis Colts, ending what was a lackluster season on a high note. The media was able to catch up with several players after the victory including pass-rusher Yannick Ngakoue, who is one of the Jags’ biggest question marks heading into the 2020 season.

Of course, with his rookie contract now up, Ngakoue was asked about his future as a Jag and he made three things clear: business is business, he’s learned a lot about the organization, and he’s not sure what the future holds.

Ngakoue, who is now a pending free-agent, has long displayed his desire for a new extension, however, the Jags have failed to lock him up despite being one of their best players. In Sunday’s game against the Colts, he put an exclamation point on his 2019 campaign by causing a strip-sack on quarterback Jacoby Brissett, marking his fourth forced fumble of the season.

After the play, he headed to the sidelines to reiterate his message from the summer just in case ownership forgot.

After Sunday’s game, several of Ngakoue’s teammates vouched for him, including team captain Calais Campbell, who praised his teammate’s passion for the game. Rookie quarterback Gardner Minshew II also had kind words for Ngakoue, stating that he’d like to see the star pass-rusher return, too.

Up until this point, the Jags have severely mismanaged Ngakoue’s situation and it would be wise of them to not follow that trend this year as they are in no predicament to let a marquee pass-rusher and leader like him go with a rebuild coming up. With Tom Coughlin gone, maybe things could go more fluidly this offseason and a deal can be ironed out in the spring of 2020 at the earliest.

Watch: Highlights from Jaguars’ 38-20 victory over Colts

Revisit the highlights from the Jaguars’ final game of the decade as they defeated the Indianapolis Colts 38-20.

The Jacksonville Jaguars are heading into the offseason on a high note with a decisive 38-20 win over their AFC South rivals: the Indianapolis Colts. The Jaguars had a disappointing season in 2019, but Gardner Minshew and company decided to make one last statement as the team rallied in the second half to upset the 7-8 Colts.

Lets revisit the highlights for the final game of the decade:

The game started out in favor of the Colts as they quickly struck first with a field goal, but Jaguars’ kicker Josh Lambo quickly answered with one of his own. After a Colts touchdown and a second Jaguars field goal from Lambo, the Jaguars found the end zone on a 14-yard pitch and catch from Gardner Minshew to Keelan Cole.

The Colts quickly rallied to score 10 more points, retaking the lead 20-13. However, after that point, it was all Duval. Jacksonville fired back with a bomb of a kick from Lambo, nailing a 56-yard field goal to end the half, still trailing 20-16. We all need a hero, and for Jacksonville, no player has answered that call more so than Lambo.

In the second half, Jacksonville started right where they left off and never let off the gas pedal. With Fournette out with the flu, back-up halfback Ryquell Armstead stepped up and filled the void admirably. In the third quarter, Armstead helped Jacksonville retake the lead catching a 3-yard touchdown from Minshew.

After taking a 24-20 lead, the Jaguars pinned Indianapolis deep in their own territory, and as Ngakoue often does, the premier pass-rusher forced a fumble that cemented the Jaguars’ victory.

The fun didn’t end there as Dede Westbrook made the final statement, reeling in a 18-yard beauty from Minshew before the game ended.

Sunday’s win was fun due to the fact that the Jags’ franchise is in an awkward place in time. The team has developing young stars in place like D.J. Chark Jr., Tre Herndon, and Josh Allen to build around. With the right men at the helm, this franchise has all it needs to return to glory.

5 Jaguars to watch vs. Colts

The Jags and Colts will duke it out on last time in 2019, and as underdogs, the Jags will need DJ Chark and several other players to step up.

The Jacksonville Jaguars have almost arrived to the most important offseason in franchise history, but before they get there, they must take care of business in their 2019 season finale against the Indianapolis Colts. As the underdogs for Sunday’s game, they will need several players to step up and here are the five we think could play a big role in Week 17’s AFC South battle:

Mandatory Credit: Douglas DeFelice-USA TODAY Sports

RB Ryquell Armstead

Saturday afternoon, running back Leonard Fournette announced that he wouldn’t be playing against the Colts after he was downgraded to doubtful on the final injury report with the flu. With that being the case, rookie tailback Ryquell Armstead will get his first career start.

With or without Fournette, the key for the Jags will be to control the clock, which means offensive coordinator John DeFilippo should make him the biggest part of the game plan. In the limited time Armstead has seen on the field, he’s also been a solid receiver, so that may be an asset in which DeFilippo may want to consider using as the Colts’ passing defense (No. 22) is significantly worse than their rush defense (No. 8).

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Yannick Ngakoue makes concerning comments about potential future with Jags

The Jacksonville Jaguars have not only endured a tough season in terms of their record, but they’ve also taken a lot of losses in terms of key players. It all started when they parted ways with Dante Fowler Jr. by trading him last October, then they …

The Jacksonville Jaguars have not only endured a tough season in terms of their record, but they’ve also taken a lot of losses in terms of key players. It all started when they parted ways with Dante Fowler Jr. by trading him last October, then they parted ways with veterans Tashaun Gipson and Malik Jackson this offseason. They traded Jalen Ramsey after a heated and drawn-out saga, and now the defense is heading towards a season in which the unit will need to go through a rebuild.

One key player who has managed to stick around through the Jags’ recent overhaul is defensive end Yannick Ngakoue, who will be playing his last game on his rookie contract Sunday against the Indianapolis Colts. His situation past this year is one that definitely concerns fans when looking at how the organization has handled things with their key players, and Ngakoue may have added more concerns Friday.

In a post on his personal Instagram page, Ngakoue posted a picture of him moving in to sack New York Jets quarterback Sam Darnold, which isn’t out of the ordinary. However, the post was captioned with with a message that read “One more Ride. All praises to you Lord,” which naturally raised the eyebrows of many fans

When asked to provide some clarity on what he meant by former Jags cornerback Jalen Ramsey, Ngakoue replied by calling Week 17’s game a “victory lap,” which might be a clue about just how rocky Ngakoue’s relationship is with the Jags higher ups.

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One more Ride. All praises to you Lord.🙏🏾

A post shared by Yannick Ngakoue (@yannickngakoue91) on

Ngakoue has long expressed his desire for a new contract, but that unfortunately didn’t happen this offseason. The team briefly went into negotiations with Ngakoue’s camp in July, but according to Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated, those discussions quickly went downhill because of front office executive Tom Coughlin. As a result, Ngakoue was angered and elected to miss some organized team activities and training camp.

Now, here we are five months removed from those discussions and it appears little progress has been made. Heading forward, the Jags will have to figure out who will be the key figures in their front office, and once that’s done, Ngakoue should be their top priority. With the Jags lacking stars, it would be wise for the Jags to retain Ngakoue as young productive pass rushers don’t grow on trees.

Report: Tom Coughlin, Jags front office ended contract talks prematurely with Yannick Ngakoue

Albert Breer shares some insight on how Yannick Ngakoue’s contract extension went this summer.

Since his firing on Wednesday (and even earlier in the week), a lot has surfaced about the way Tom Coughlin ran things in the Jacksonville Jaguars’ front office and fans have been rightfully sounding off. Unfortunately, some of the standout players that he’s angered the most are no longer with the team, which is exactly why fans should be glad that defensive end Yannick Ngakoue lasted through Coughlin’s tenure.

One of the biggest topics of the season was Yannick Ngakoue’s contract situation. In July, there was a report that surfaced stating the Jags shot him a short-term offer worth $19 million per year. However, thanks to Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated, we now have some info on how the negotiation process went down.

In a nutshell, it wasn’t pretty.

Just before training camp last summer, Coughlin declared that the Jags had made their final and best offer to pass-rusher Yannick Ngakoue. The problem? It was late July, and negotiations were still in the early stages, having only started earlier that month. And the comments sufficiently angered Ngakoue, who was planning on reporting to training camp, to the point where he launched a training camp holdout instead. And this was a player that the team wanted to sign.

Back in May, Ngakoue told the media he wouldn’t holdout for organized team activities or any offseason events afterward, but ended up doing so anyway. We now know he had a more than valid reason to do so based on Breer’s report.

As most are aware, it takes a little time to iron out a deal like the one Ngakoue has/had earned at the time. That said, there feels like there was a lack of effort on the Jags’ end when reading these statements. Meanwhile, it seems as though they had no problems putting together long-term deals for players brought in from other organizations like quarterback Nick Foles and guard Andrew Norwell. That’s not a good look by any means.

It also makes sense that the details behind the short-term deal in which was shot Ngakoue’s way would “leak.” With Coughlin out of the picture, however, fans should feel a little more comfortable about Ngakoue’s chances to stay.

Yannick Ngakoue acquires highest PFF grade for Jags vs. Raiders

Jacksonville Jaguars pass-rusher Yannick Ngakoue balled out Sunday against the Oakland Raiders, registering what was his best game of the year so far. Alongside the Jags’ other pass rushers, he was disruptive all day accumulating five tackles, two …

Jacksonville Jaguars pass-rusher Yannick Ngakoue balled out Sunday against the Oakland Raiders, registering what was his best game of the year so far. Alongside the Jags’ other pass rushers, he was disruptive all day accumulating five tackles, two sacks and a pass deflection.

Of course, when a player has a day like Ngakoue, that typically translates on Pro Football Focus’ grading scale — and that was the case for the fourth-year pass rusher. He was able to register the Jags’ highest grade for the database Week 15 with a 81.2. That also bumped his overall grade on the year to a 76.3. 

Ngakoue, who was battling a hamstring injury earlier in the season, has been solid as the season progressed and has also held his own against the run, and area where fans criticize him before the season. At this point he’s made it to where the Jags would be foolish to not re-sign him in the near future, but it’s looking as though another regime will have to make that call as the Jags are likely heading towards some front office changes.

Ngakoue has also had an impact in the locker room, too. He’s often been seen on the Jags’ social media posts rallying the team trying to keep them upbeat through what has been a tough season.

Simply put, if that doesn’t prove what kind of asset he is to the team, then I don’t know what will for ownership.

Postgame analysis: Jags spoil Raiders’ historic day thanks to some Minshew Magic

The Jags were out-gained in total yards and time of possession but somehow managed to acquire a win over Oakland.

The Jacksonville Jaguars came into Sunday’s game against the Oakland Raiders with a 2-12 all-time record and a nine-game losing streak on the West Coast but that changed Week 15. With the help of some “Minshew Magic,” the Cardiac Cats were able to rain on the Raiders’ parade in their last regular season game at RingCentral Coliseum (a.k.a. Oakland Coliseum).

After a relatively flat first half on offense, Gardner Minshew II and company were able to score two touchdowns in the fourth quarter, both of which were courtesy of receiver Chris Conley. Coincidentally, both drives were also the Jags’ first and last drives of the fourth quarter on offense.

The first scoring drive was an 11-play drive for 53-yards. The second scoring drive, which gave them the lead, was another one in which Jags fans will forever tie to Minshew’s name.

Minshew rallied the Jags after a missed field goal by the Raiders by hitting a combination of C.J. Board, Leonard Fournette and Conley along the way with roughly 3:30 left in the game. Before snagging the game-winning touchdown, Conley also contributed a 21-yard reception on the drive. Eventually, the Jags found themselves on the Raiders’ 4-yard line and Minshew threw a dart to Conley on a slant pattern, silencing the Oakland crowd.

Minshew finished the game 17-of-29 for 201 yards and two touchdowns. Conley, on the other hand, had four catches for 49 yards and the two aforementioned touchdowns.

Defensively, the Jags allowed 364 total yards, 236 of which came through the air, however, the pass rush came up big for the Jags in some key moments. They finished the game with four sacks on Derek Carr. Two of those sacks came from pass-rusher Yannick Ngakoue, who was unstoppable all game and also totaled five tackles. Rookie pass-rusher Josh Allen also had a solid day, acquiring his 10th sac of the season, which put him with interesting company.

Sunday’s win was a weird one, to say the least, as the Raiders out-gained the Jags in total yards (364 to 262) and had a longer time of possession (34:12 to 25:48). In the end, the Jags managed to pull off a win though and that’s all that matters.

The Jags’ next game will be on the road against the Atlanta Falcons. That game will take place at 1 p.m. ET on Dec. 22.

Prospects for Jags fans to watch: Auburn DL Derrick Brown

What does Brown bring to the next level and is he a player the Jacksonville Jaguars could target in the top-10?

One of the Jacksonville Jaguars’ biggest strengths has become one of their most worrisome weaknesses during the 2019 season. The Jaguars started the season confident in a defensive line unit that was comprised of star defensive ends Yannick Ngakoue and Calais Campbell, rookie pass rusher Josh Allen, as well as Taven Bryan, Abry Jones, and Marcell Dareus up the middle at defensive tackle. A truly solid and deep unit of talented lineman.

While all but one of those players have been healthy enough to make it to this point of the regular season, the loss of the run-stuffing Dareus, to a core injury, has been evident in the team’s performances. Jacksonville hasn’t been able to stop the run and it has been a key reason as to why the Jags have been losing and losing big.

This offseason the Jaguars will be tasked with a difficult decision regarding Dareus: whether or not to release the talented but expensive big man. In 2020, Dareus carries a huge cap hit of 22.5 million. When considering that figure, the Jags will have to release Dareus (or rework a deal somehow). Regardless, he isn’t getting any younger, which means a plan for a replacement needs to be in place.

A potential heir is Auburn defensive tackle, Derrick Brown. Brown is regarded among the best players in the upcoming draft and it is easy to see why. On the season, Brown collected 11.5 tackles and four sacks, dominating the Southeastern Conference in remarkable fashion. Brown (6-foot-5, 318 pounds) is currently my second-best player in the class and would be an instant impact player on the Jaguars roster, shoring up the hole left by Dareus.

What does Brown bring to the next level and is he a player the Jaguars could target in the top-10?

Last season, I was enamored with top defensive line prospect Quinnen Williams, who ended up being drafted by the New York Jets. Williams was a game-changing defensive tackle, both a force in the pass and run game. Brown brings a similar level of disruption and nasty to his game.

Brown is one of the strongest players in the draft and it shows in his game. He is a force to be reckoned with. Against one of the best offensive lines in college football on a national stage, Derrick Brown wrecked shop on opening weekend against Oregon, a statement game for the young prospect.

In a goal-line situation, Brown made his presence known, blowing the right guard off the line into the backfield, disrupting the entire play.

Brown is a player teams must account for on every play due to his ability to easily terrorize the backfield.

Against Louisiana State, the nation’s top team, Brown again made sure Quarterback Joe Burrow was familiar with him. Brown long-armed the right guard back, walking him back into Burrow for the sack.

Simply put, Brown has become one of the draft’s most physical players and that’s exactly what you want to see out of your defensive tackle.

If all that doesn’t convince you of Brown being amongst the best in this year’s upcoming draft class, there is also the fact that the 318 pound DT is also pretty crafty as a pass-rusher. Below, in a game that just occurred a few weekends ago, Brown pulled off one of the most beautiful interior spin moves I’ve seen. A sight to behold.

 

Of the players that are likely to be on the board when the Jaguars are on the clock, Brown is the most dominant. Jacksonville has implemented a best available player approach the last few seasons and if they are to do it again, I wouldn’t be surprised to see Auburn’s big, sexy No. 5 be the selection. He would become an immediate starter and an immediate difference-maker.

For a team looking for its identity, Brown could be the player to return Jacksonville’s defense to being one of the most feared in the league. To me, he could have a John Henderson/ Marcus Stoud type impact, which is what’s been missing in Duval.