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The Baltimore Ravens’ trade for Minnesota Vikings defensive end Yannick Ngakoue is a move that will have lasting repercussions on the rosters of both teams. The Vikings had Ngakoue in their building for less than two months, and appear set to enter a period of rebuilding. For Baltimore, it gives an already fierce defense another dangerous playmaker. The trade also has lasting implications for the Ravens’ salary cap.
Before the trade took place, Baltimore had $4,962,802 in salary cap space, according to Over The Cap. Ngakoue had been playing on a one-year, $12 million deal with the Vikings, which will now count as $4.706 million against the Ravens’ 2020 salary cap. With so little salary cap space remaining after the trade, it points to Baltimore likely either restructuring another player to free up some money or inking Ngakoue to a long-term deal to lower the cap hit.
There are some long-term implications of the Ngakoue trade as well. On just a one-year deal, Ngakoue is effectively a 10-game rental right now. Having given up two draft picks to land him, it seems unlikely Baltimore general manager Eric DeCosta is just going to let Ngakoue play out this season and potentially hit free agency. That means a long-term deal is likely in the works, which will have a major impact on the Ravens’ future salary cap numbers.
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Ngakoue has been looking for a new deal for quite some time, having a public feud with the Jacksonville Jaguars over the matter this offseason. Having amassed 37.5 sacks over four seasons in the NFL prior to this year, Ngakoue is among the most productive pass rushers in the league. And with how pass-happy offenses have become, productive pass rushers get paid. A long-term contract will likely set Baltimore back around $20 million a year on average, though the terms could be worked out to make some seasons far cheaper than others.
Currently, the top pass rusher contract belongs to Los Angeles Chargers’ Joey Bosa, who signed a five-year extension this offseason worth $135 million with $78 million guaranteed. It’s unlikely Ngakoue will command quite that dollar amount but he’ll undoubtedly be around those figures whenever a contract extension happens.
Luckily for the Ravens, they’re set to have plenty of cap space in the next few years. As it stands now, before other deals for guys like left tackle Ronnie Stanley are done, Baltimore is slated to have $43.799 million available on the 2021 salary cap, according to OTC. While Ngakoue’s potential long-term deal could eat up a large chunk of that, they should have enough money in the wallet to still be active in free agency if they wish.
This is another calculated risk from Baltimore’s front office, almost a year after trading for former Los Angeles Rams cornerback Marcus Peters. That move worked out splendidly for the Ravens, who will be hoping for more of the same from Ngakoue.
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