As has been expected for months now, the Jacksonville Jaguars finally traded pass-rusher Yannick Ngakoue, who finds a new home with the Minnesota Vikings. The Indianapolis Colts now won’t have to game plan for him twice in a season.
Though the Colts will ultimately face him again in Week 2 when the Colts host the Vikings at Lucas Oil Stadium on Sept. 20, they won’t have to play against him two times like they did during his tenure with the Jaguars.
The Jaguars traded Ngakoue to the Vikings for a 2021 second-round pick and a 2021 conditional fifth-round pick, which can get as high as a third-round pick depending on which terms are met during the 2020 season.
Had Ngakoue hit the free agency market, the Colts may have been a potential team of interest. However, the Jaguars hit the 25-year-old pass rusher with the franchise tag—something Ngakoue said he wouldn’t play under.
What was once a dominating defense all the way back in 2017 is now a shell of itself. The Jaguars have shipped off just about every big piece of the unit, including veteran Calais Campbell for a fifth-round pick this offseason.
The Colts offense should be an improved unit, and the offensive line should find it much easier to protect Philip Rivers with Ngakoue out of Jacksonville.