The situation between Yannick Ngakoue and the Jacksonville Jaguars this offseason has been rather interesting, and now even a team legend has chimed in. That legend is Jimmy Smith, who is arguably the best player in team history.
These days it seems as though Smith has been extra active on Twitter, communicating with the fans who’ve been vouching hard for him to get recognition through the Pro Football Hall-of-Fame. In the process of his Twitter resurgence, he’s also shared his thoughts on Yannick Ngakoue after it was revealed he hadn’t reported to camp or spoken with the team.
Forget Yan! We don’t have time for him! We trying to rebuild our football team with guys who want to be here!
— Jimmy Smith (@JimmySmithJags) July 30, 2020
Of course, such statements sparked more interactions from both Jags fans who agreed with Smith, and on a smaller scale, some who disagreed. One fan even pulled up an old article about Smith’s contract dispute with the Jags, which Smith countered by arguing that the difference was he wanted to be a Jag for life.
The difference is that, I WANTED TO BE A JAGUAR FOR LIFE!!!⚡️ https://t.co/FqRPwpyJgQ
— Jimmy Smith (@JimmySmithJags) July 30, 2020
After that tweet, Smith continued to explain why he’s ready to see the team move on from Ngakoue: because of the Twitter exchange he had with Tony Khan.
Yep! I wouldn’t pay him jack if he disrespected my son on Twitter!!! https://t.co/dG1IabQRrJ
— Jimmy Smith (@JimmySmithJags) July 30, 2020
As many can recall, Ngakoue came at Khan before the draft demanding a trade. Khan responded by saying that a trade wouldn’t happen until the compensation was right and added that Ngakoue’s handling of the situation on Twitter wasn’t a good look.
The tweet above received a like from Ngakoue, which caused Smith to tweet another response, stating that Ngakoue is at home reading the thoughts of those who’ve criticized him. Smith also accused the young pass-rusher of using several burner accounts.
Cause I know he probably sitting at home watching and reading what people are saying about him! Thinking yea they gone miss me!🤣 https://t.co/cb2u2c4h2m
— Jimmy Smith (@JimmySmithJags) July 30, 2020
I know he is!🤣🤣🤣 https://t.co/axL2HLVGSu
— Jimmy Smith (@JimmySmithJags) July 30, 2020
Yea! He got two or three burner accounts! Doing the Kevin Durant 🤣 https://t.co/zkEtHgIUEY
— Jimmy Smith (@JimmySmithJags) July 31, 2020
Smith later explained that he was a fan of Ngakoue, but felt he has been disrespectful towards the fans, some of whom vocally demanded the team pay him for his hard work.
That prompted a reply from a fan who felt Smith was out of line commenting on Ngakoue’s situation. The fan also added that Smith shouldn’t want an altercation at his age, but Smith didn’t seem too worried about it, bringing up Ngakoue’s exchange with Philip Rivers from 2019.
It’s not that serious Yan! I saw Phillip Rivers screaming in your ear! NINTY YARDS YAHOO!! And you didn’t do jack but cry to the refs!
— Jimmy Smith (@JimmySmithJags) July 31, 2020
As previously mentioned, Smith hasn’t just spent his time on Twitter tweeting about Ngakoue, he’s also spent a lot of time thanking his fans for their support towards getting him recognized. He’s also offered to sign some jerseys, have a podcast appearance for a fan, along with many other gestures to return the favor of the fanbase who clearly loves the Jags legend.
As for Smith getting his due in terms of making it into the Hall-of-Fame, he has certainly built the social media buzz to get the attention of the 48-person Selection Committee. Only time will tell if they are listening, but there is no doubt Smith has been overlooked.