Ravens players freak out about Yannick Ngakoue trade

The Baltimore Ravens made a huge splash, acquiring star pass rusher Yannick Ngakoue from the Vikings. And the players reveled in it.

The Baltimore Ravens made a splash move on Thursday as they acquired star pass rusher Yannick Ngakoue from the Minnesota Vikings in exchange for a a third round pick in 2021 and a conditional fifth round pick in 2022. Ngakuoe will instantly make Baltimore’s defense better as he will put pressure on opposing quarterbacks and boost the Ravens’ already scary pass rush.

Once the news broke that Ngakoue was headed to the Ravens the pass rusher tweeted out a message of excitement:

Ngakoue had been on Baltimore’s radar for a long time. But it was Ravens safety DeShon Elliott that first brought up the idea, an exact year before the trade went down. According to Elliott, he spoke the trade into existence.

The trade seemed to happen at the perfect time, as Ravens defensive lineman and Ngakoue’s former teammate in Jacksonville Calais Campbell was conducting an interview, so he gave an immediate reaction to the deal.

Ngakoue grew up in the area, attending the University of Maryland before he was drafted by the Jacksonville Jaguars. In his almost 4.5 years in the NFL he has accumulated 42.5 sacks and 16 forced fumbles, quickly rising to the top of the pass rusher ranks. Not only is Ngakoue excited about being in Baltimore, but his new teammates are also pumped up.

Ravens players also praised Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta for pulling off yet another stellar move.

Just like last year’s trade for cornerback Marcus Peters, the Ravens got a phenomenal player for relative peanuts. It’s hard to doubt anyone that wants to call DeCosta the G.O.A.T. right now. But we’ll see just how much impact Ngakoue has on Baltimore’s roster and if he’s enough to help push them to Super Bowl glory.