Yannick Ngakoue Reportedly Traded To The Minnesota Vikings
Yannick Ngakoue has apparently gotten what he’s wanted from the Jacksonville Jaguars since this winter. ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported on Twitter that the Jaguars reached an agreement to trade Ngakoue to the Minnesota Vikings.
The agreement sees the Vikings send a second-round and conditional fifth-round pick in the 2021 NFL draft. Depending on several different factors, it’s possible that the fifth-round choice could end up going as high as the third round.
The one issue that could still throw a wrench in the works is that Ngakoue still has to sign his franchise tag tender. He cannot be traded until that document gets his signature. He has been under the franchise tag for months and he has refused to give his signature while he demanded a way out of town.
Schefter also reported just how Ngakoue can help his former team with his performance in 2020. If he manages to make the Pro Bowl, the second draft choice in the deal will become a fourth-round.
If Ngakoue makes the Pro Bowl and the Vikings win the Super Bowl, it becomes a third-round selection.
The analyst said there is at least one more condition that is going to need to be met before the agreement goes through. Not only must Ngakoue finally sign a contract he’s held off signing for months, but Minnesota is going to need to find a way to make room for the defender under the salary cap.
The franchise has been running up against the cap for several months. The lack of agility when it comes to salary money is reportedly one of the reasons the team needed to make this move in the first place.
The club had been looking at bringing back veteran defensive lineman Everson Griffen this summer but couldn’t make his contract demands work. He eventually signed with the Dallas Cowboys after reports that the two sides were attempting to find a way to stage a reunion.
Over the summer, Ngakoue had voiced his displeasure with his now-former front office, even getting into a dispute with the Jags president.
Ngakoue is still playing under his rookie contract after playing in Jacksonville for the first four years of his NFL career. In that time, he amassed 37.5 sacks, including a career-high 12 in 2017. In 2019 he logged eight sacks and a career-high 41 total tackles.
He also notched 13 tackles for loss and 15 quarterback hits. He was an all-around effective defender, also getting an interception and a 23-yard return, and he even had six passes defended.
