With the most important part of free agency behind us, the biggest question on the minds of Jacksonville Jaguars fans has been whether or not Yannick Ngakoue will be on the team this regular season. Earlier in the month, he made it clear that he doesn’t want to sign with the Jags long-term, which in all probability will lead to a trade of some sort.
Heading into draft month, as expected, there will be no shortage of suitors for the young pass-rusher who turned 25 Tuesday. Per Mike Garafolo of NFL Network, multiple teams have contacted the Jags about a trade, but as expected, the Jags have made it clear that the deal must be a good one to come off the former third-round pick.
The #Jaguars have heard from multiple interested teams about a possible trade for DE Yannick Ngakoue, who turns 25 today. The Jags value him and won’t give him away for little return but it’ll be interesting to see how this plays out as we draw closer to the draft.
— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) March 31, 2020
In just speculating, one would have to think the Jags want at least a first-round pick (and maybe more) for Ngakoue when looking at what the Seattle Seahawks got for Frank Clark and the San Francisco 49ers got for DeForest Buckner. With two first-round selections already for 2020-21 and 12 selections for this April’s draft, adding a first for Ngakoue for this year or next would be huge for Dave Caldwell. Clearly, the veteran general manager is in the process of a rebuild, and if he can’t have Ngakoue on the team to make it a quicker process, flipping him for a first-round selection is the next best thing.
When looking at who could use Ngakoue, the Philadelphia Eagles, New York Giants, and Seattle Seahawks (if they can’t retain Jadeveon Clowney) all make sense. At the moment, Philly, in particular, seems like the best spot because they are ready to win now and could be the most willing to part ways with their first-round selection of 2020 (No. 21 overall) or one next season.