The 2020 combine is right around the corner which means free agency will also be here before fans know it. A big part of the combine aside from the prospects on the field will be the latest in free agency rumors, and for Jacksonville Jaguars fans, that could include more clarity on Yannick Ngakoue’s situation.
It’s been made clear that the Jags want to retain him by general manager Dave Caldwell and coach Doug Marrone, and last week owner Shad Khan broke his silence on the matter, too. When asked about keeping Ngakoue and veteran Calais Campbell, who also is a question mark to return, Khan stated that he’s hopeful both will be back in 2020.
“I think he’s a fabulous guy,” Khan said about Campbell to Jaguars.com reporter Ashlyn Sullivan. “And I think his contributions everybody understands, knows, [and] respects. Both of these players, Yannick [Ngakoue] and Calais [Campbell], I had chats with them after this season. So I mean certainly I’d love for them to be back and I’m very hopeful they’re gonna be back.”
The feeling has always been that both will be back despite Campbell being a $15 million cap hit in 2020 and Ngakoue being a free agent when the new league year begins.
Campbell is basically viewed as the heart and soul of the team and has mentioned signing an extension to potentially lower his cap hit since the regular season ended, but added that the deal must “make sense” from his perspective. However, even if the Jags have to bite the bullet and pay him $15 million on the season, they likely won’t have any problems with doing so.
As for Ngakoue, he’s likely eying a deal along the lines of DeMarcus Lawrence’s, which is a five-year contract for $105 million with $65 million guaranteed. The deal Frank Clark got last year (five years, $104 million with $62.3 million guaranteed) could also be one that could garner his interest.
With figures like that on his mind and the Jags having several needs in free agency, it wouldn’t be a shocker to see Ngakoue franchised to some capacity — at least temporarily. If he’s given the non-exclusive franchise tag the Jags could be looking at a contract of approximately $19 million for one season and would allow Ngakoue and his party to negotiate a deal with another team for the Jags to match. If they elect not to match it the other team would have to compensate the Jags with two first-round selections.
“We very much want him to be [back],” Khan added. “I’ve talked to him — but absolutely it’s our desire that he be back.”
I think a simple fix could be structuring a long-term deal like Clark’s where his cap hit is small the first year ($6.5 million or a little more). However, time will tell if the Jags feel Ngakoue is worth $65 million guaranteed because it remains to be seen how they value him.