More drama surrounding the Yannick Ngakoue situation has surfaced after NFL insider Ian Rapoport has come out and cast doubt over the Jacksonville Jaguars moving on from him. According to Rapoport, a trade for the 25-year-old pass-rusher is unlikely to happen this weekend as we head into the 2020 NFL Draft.
The clock is running out on a deal for #Jaguars franchised pass-rusher Yannick Ngakoue and there hasn’t been much traction to date. These deals are complicated and difficult — both in settling on compensation and doing an extension with his agent. At this point, unlikely.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) April 23, 2020
Ngakoue has made it abundantly clear that he has no desire to stay in Jacksonville, coming to blows with co-owner Tony Khan on Twitter earlier this week. Khan was quick to respond, saying that the price hasn’t been right for the Jaguars to move on from their Pro-Bowl defensive end. That seems to be exactly what was enforced by Rapoport’s tweet Thursday morning.
The Jaguars aren’t new to trading their star players as former first-team All Pro Jalen Ramsey was traded to the Los Angeles Rams last season. General manager Dave Caldwell was robust in his negotiations and was able to orchestrate a phenomenal trade for his team.
With this experience so fresh in the memory, the Jaguars aren’t simply going to give Yannick Ngakoue away for less than he’s worth. Whilst they would like to increase the amount of draft capital they own this weekend, this front office won’t sell themselves short for the sake of making a deal.