The Jacksonville Jaguars edge rusher is on the move. It better be to New York
Ever since the 2020 league year started, all eyes were on the Jacksonville Jaguars and edge rusher Yannick Ngakoue.
The team placed the franchise tag on Ngakoue, but the player made it publicly known that he has no desire to play for the team, a la now-Los Angeles Rams cornerback Jalen Ramsey. After a months-long standoff between both parties, there appears to have finally been a breakthrough.
According to Michael Lombardi of The Athletic, the Jaguars are “extremely close” to trading Ngakoue either by Wednesday or Thursday for a second-round NFL Draft pick. In fact, Lombardi said that the New York Jets were deeply involved in trade talks with the Jaguars. That better be the case, because it’d be foolish if they didn’t try to acquire Ngakoue.
The Jets have the draft capital and cap space to facilitate the move
The Jets are in the midst of an obvious rebuild and haven’t been big spenders on the open market. General manager Joe Douglas is trying to build the team around quarterback Sam Darnold, as evidenced by the overhaul of New York’s offensive line.
But one glaring weakness that the Jets has is at pass rush. Linebacker Jordan Jenkins is undoubtedly the team’s best pass rusher, but there’s not much else behind him. Fellow linebacker CJ Mosley has opted out for the 2020 season, meaning he’s played a grand total of one game through his first two years in New York. Meanwhile Avery Williamson is returning from a torn ACL suffered last preseason, so it’s unknown if he’ll be able to return to form. Quinnen Williams is expected to breakthrough, but it’s unknown when, especially when looking at his disappointing rookie season last year. The Jets can fix the pass rush problem by acquiring Ngakoue.
The former Maryland Terrapin was a steal in the 2016 NFL Draft, as the Jaguars took him in the third-round of the event. Through his first four years in the league, Ngakoue has tallied 105 total tackles, 85 quarterback hits, 37.5 sacks and 14 forced fumbles. Perhaps the most impressive thing about Ngakoue is he’s been healthy for the majority of his NFL career, as he only missed one game. That’s it.
New York has the assets to make a move for Ngakoue. They traded disgruntled All-Pro safety Jamal Adams to the Seattle Seahawks for their first-round selections in 2021 and 2022. That means the Jets will have two first-round picks in each of the next two years. If the reported asking price of a second-round selection is true, than the Jets cannot hesitate in flipping it.
Who needs a second-round pick when you have four firsts in the next two years?!? Plus, with Adams no longer in New York incessantly demanding a new deal, the Jets have the cap space to give Ngakoue the contract he so desires. It’s a win-win for both sides!
The Jets usually have a propensity of screwing things up, but they can flip their fortunes by bringing in this stud pass rusher.