Jacksonville Jaguars general manager Dave Caldwell said Yannick Ngakoue would be the team’s top priority this offseason in his postseason presser and that tone hasn’t changed a few weeks later. Caldwell spoke with Jaguars.com while attending the Senior Bowl Tuesday and Ngakoue was one of the many topics who came up.
“It’s a deal that we feel like could take a little bit of time but should be done hopefully relatively easily,” Caldwell said.
A deal that could “take a little bit of time” clearly sounds like Caldwell is aiming for a long-term deal, unlike the short-term one which the team shot his way last summer. That may likely involve the team temporarily franchise tagging him, which is projected to cost over $17 million this season.
Per NFL Network insider Tom Pelissero, the deal that Ngakoue was offered last year was one that paid out $19 million annually and would’ve made him the fourth-highest paid defensive end. However, the guaranteed amount wasn’t revealed.
Caldwell added that the process is one that will likely involve owner Shad Khan and his son Tony Khan, which proves their sense of urgency to keep their star. With the team coming off a season in which they lost their franchise player, Jalen Ramsey, and was called out by the NFLPA, it appears Khan may be looking to run his organization better and is striving to make the players a little happier.
Right now, the highest-paid 4-3 defensive end is DeMarcus Lawrence, who signed a five-year deal worth $105 million with $65 million being guaranteed last April. With Ngakoue beating him out in sacks this season with eight and having just five fewer tackles (41), he’ll likely view that as a starting point in negotiations. Before that happens, however, the Jags will need to begin clearing out some cap space, a process that Caldwell says the team has until the beginning of the league year (March 18) to address.