Yannick Ngakoue wants out of Jacksonville but it remains to be seen if he’ll get his request. At this point, most of the fanbase is simply ready for the team to make a move so the organization can simply move away from the fractured relationships caused during Tom Coughlin’s tenure. However, it appears he lead man in the organization, Shad Khan, really would like to keep Ngakoue according to several insiders.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter recently spoke on the matter to 97.5 the Fanatic of Philadelphia. He went into details of when Ngakoue could be traded in his eyes, what the Jags may want, and emphasized that Khan would prefer to keep him.
“I still think the team; the Jaguars have to move him during the draft. You know, the week of the draft, during the draft, my guess is these are usually deals that are made often while teams are on the clock. They’re going to want back significant compensation for him. It remains to be seen how much they actually will get back. There will be people in that organization, like the owner, who will not want to move him, which means that they’ll be firmer on their price. But if they don’t trade him, then they’ve got a mess on their hands. And I believe the guy, the player, when he said that he doesn’t plan to play for them again. I believe he will continue to sit, so that’s not good for anybody.
I think that the right thing for them to do logistically is to move on from him. And so they’re gonna want a first-round pick, maybe then some for him. I don’t know whether they’ll get a first-round pick for him or not, we’ll see how it shakes out. It could be swapping draft spots; it could be swapping picks; it could be any combination of factors that get a deal done. Now, in the end I would guess that they do trade him. I think they have to. I think that’s the best thing for everybody involved. I don’t think they want that headache on their hands, and I think the owner will see that eventually.”
In terms of the compensation, it’s possible that a team may be willing to give up what the Kansas City Chiefs did for Frank Clark last year as the draft gets closer, which was their 2019 first-round selection, 2020 second rounder, and swapped thirds for 2019.
As an analyst well connected with the Jags, CBS Sports’ Pete Prisco echoed those sentiments about Khan wanting to keep Ngakoue, too, on a debate with Jason La Canfora via 105.7 The Fan of Baltimore.
“I hear the owner doesn’t want to trade him no matter what because it’s a bad look for the organization. These guys complain and then you get traded. I’m telling you, unless they get their socks knocked off on some deal [they won’t trade him], which, by the way, isn’t happening. There’s not a lot out there for those pass rushers and we saw that [during the offseason]. Look at [Jadeveon] Clowney. He’s floundering looking for money. He initially asked for $22 million.”
While he didn’t say Khan’s name specifically, NFL insider Ian Rapoport also told Jags Wire something along the lines of Prisco and Schefter, stating that he believes if the Jags had it their way they prefer to have Ngakoue play for them. While Ngakoue’s mind is seemingly made up, Rapoport also added that players have changed their minds in the past about their stance on an organization.
“He is a great asset for Jacksonville. I think if they could just do whatever they wanted, whatever it is, I think they would have him play for them this year. He is a great player. If it’s just on the tag, I think that would be OK for them.
The other thing I’ll say, and I don’t know what’s going to end up happening, if he plays on the tag this year and the experience is OK [maybe] he decides to re-sign. I’ve seen situations where players have called teams a lot of things and ended up back there. Maybe this is a little different but I would think if Jacksonville had the choice, they would have him play for them this season.”
When reflecting on the past, Khan expressed a similar message about cornerback Jalen Ramsey last season after their saga with him, however, they ended up trading him anyway. It’s worth noting that Khan probably would’ve stuck with his word but the Los Angeles Rams’ offer was just too good for the Jags to pass up.
With Ngakoue I’m sure they would do the same if they were offered two more first-round selections. However, that’s unlikely, and instead, they may get an offer closer to the one I mentioned with Clark earlier at best. That would then lead to the question of whether or not that’s good enough for Khan to come off the disgruntled pass-rusher, but only time will tell.