A first-round pick and then some is the asking price of the Jacksonville Jaguars for defensive end Yannick Ngakoue.
ESPN reported the 25-year-old defensive end is on the trade block, with the Jaguars pushing to receive at least a first-round pick, a bounty that matches what Jacksonville requested for cornerback Jalen Ramsey at the trade deadline in October 2019.
Ngakoue said via Twitter his “time is up” in Jacksonville. Unhappy about being given the franchise tag, Ngakoue announced via social media in March that he wasn’t interested in a long-term agreement with the Jaguars.
NFL Network reported multiple teams have reached out to the Jaguars with trade offers for Ngakoue, who immediately responded via Twitter: “Let’s agree to disagree . Why hold a man from taking care of his family. It’s obvious my time is up in my current situation. Let’s both move on
@Jaguars.”
Ngakoue has been outspoken via social media about his desire to exit Jacksonville since the team used the franchise tag to keep the defensive end off the free-agent market. Ngakoue said in early March he has no desire to stay with the Jaguars, who have traded away several stars from a stellar defense in the past six months — cornerbacks Jalen Ramsey and A.J. Bouye are gone, defensive end Calais Campbell was traded and defensive tackle Marcell Dareus was allowed to leave.
Under the franchise tag rules, the Jaguars have until mid-July to give Ngakoue a long-term deal. Ngakoue said he was ready to move on from the Jaguars after negotiations for a long-term deal stalled.
“The Jaguars are aware I no longer have interest in signing a long term contract in Jacksonville. Duval, I love you and gave you guys everything I got. I’m thankful for the journey and look forward to continuing my career elsewhere,” Ngakoue wrote on Twitter at the time.
Using the franchise tag, the Jaguars are able to reserve first-refusal rights with Ngakoue’s contract through the start of the new league year.
Under the tag, Ngakoue would get a one-year deal worth more than $19.3 million should the sides not reach agreement on a long-term deal, according to Over the Cap.
He has posted 37.5 sacks in four seasons with the Jaguars, which ranks second in franchise history. Jacksonville made Ngakoue, a Maryland product, a third-round selection (69th overall) of the 2016 NFL Draft.
Last year, he started all 15 games he played for the Jaguars, totaling a career-high 41 tackles (13 for loss), with eight sacks, six passes defensed, four forced fumbles and one interception.