Where Do Oddsmakers Thing Yannick Ngakoue Will Play in 2020?
What we know: Yannick Ngakoue is a gifted, 25-year-old pass rusher with 37.5 sacks and a Pro Bowl on his four-year resume.
What we don't know: Where exactly Ngakoue will be taking his talents to during the 2020 season.
Ngakoue has been in a tense back-and-forth with the Jacksonville Jaguars since he announced in March that he had no intention of signing a long-term deal with the franchise. A few weeks later, the Jaguars placed the franchise tag tender on Ngakoue, setting the table for the current training camp lockout the two sides are currently engaged in.
With Ngakoue still not having signed the franchise tag as well as not reporting to camp, speculation of a potential trade before or during the 2020 season continues to run rampant. Even recent as this week, there have been rumors about Ngakoue potentially being traded soon, though general manager Dave Caldwell shot down those rumors on Thursday.
“Well, the unsubstantiated report really kind of caught me off guard too,” Caldwell told SiriusXM on Thursday. “So, I don’t know where it came from or who it came from. But, if he’s being traded, I wish somebody would let me know. So, obviously, we’ve had discussions with teams, but as of one o’clock today, that report was pretty erroneous.”
So, where is Ngakoue actually expected to play in 2020? It remains to be seen if Ngakoue will actially be dealt at any point considering the Jaguars could sit on their hands and let him sit out the year, but some oddsmakers still believe there is a likelihood Ngakoue is sent elsewhere for the 2020 season.
According to odds from SportsLine, the Jaguars have just +1800 odds to be the team Ngakoue plays for in 2020. The New York Jets lead the pack with +150 odds, with the Seattle Seahawks at +300 , Las Vegas Raiders at +400 , Philadelphia Eagles at +500 and "Other" at +750.
While it is understandable why most think Ngakoue will be traded sooner than later, it is far from a sure thing that he isn't actually on Jacksonville's roster all season. The Jaguars love Ngakoue as a player and vocal leader, and they need massive help along the defensive front. Ngakoue would be easily one of their two or three best defenders if he returned to the field in 2020, so the Jaguars could hope he just changes course and signs his one-year tender before the season begins.
With that said, do these teams named make sense as potential landing spots for Ngakoue if the Jaguars do decide to trade the fifth-year defender?
Of these four teams, only the Jets and the Eagles have enough current cap space to sign Ngakoue to his tender, which is valued at $17,788,000. The Seahawks and Raiders could absolutely create some room, but it would take some roster makeover.
The Jets and Seahawks do have absolutely massive needs at edge rusher, and Ngakoue would instantly become each team's top pass rusher in the event he landed there. The Eagles and Raiders have more depth at defensive end, but why not add to one of the most important units on the team when you have the chance to?
In four seasons, Ngakoue has recorded 37.5 sacks (second-most in franchise history), 14 forced fumbles and 42 tackles for loss. Ngakoue recorded eight sacks, four forced fumbles and tied a career-high in tackles for loss with 13 last season. While he may not be one of the truly elite pass rushers of the league, he is a safe player who you know will always be relatively productive.
