Jaguars GM Dave Caldwell Mum on Yannick Ngakoue Updates, but Says the Two Have Spoken
With the Jacksonville Jaguars having already undertaken the first few weeks of training camp, one clear and noticeable name continues to keep his distance for now. And so far, the chances of a resolution continues to appear murky.
Thus far, Jaguars defensive end Yannick Ngakoue has not reported to camp and has not signed his franchise tag tender, which is worth more $17.7 million. A new layer to Ngakoue's months-long dispute took was created on Monday, however, when NFL Network's Tom Pelissero reported that Ngakoue had "parted ways" with his agent Ari Nissim, who had been with Ngakoue since May 2018.
Do the Jaguars think this gives them a better shot of seeing Ngakoue at TIAA Bank Field soon? General manager Dave Caldwell spoke on the topic during a virtual press conference on Tuesday, though it remains even unclear to him if Ngakoue changing agents is a positive thing for the Jaguars.
"I don't have a feel for that one way or another," Caldwell said Tuesday.
"I'm going to not speak for Yan out of respect for him. He's earned the right. He played his contract out, he played four years, and he's earned a right to do what's best for him and his family. And, you know, obviously, he's a guy that we know what he brings to the table. His coaches love him, his teammates love him. We all love his energy. The fanbase loves him. So, you know, ideally, we would love to have him here but I'll let him speak on his behalf of what's going on and I know he's making some calculated decisions."
Ngakoue has been at odds with the franchise since the 2019 offseason. Last year, the veteran defensive end sought out a new contract before the final year of his rookie deal began, but the Jaguars and former top front office executive Tom Coughlin failed to make much headway with him and his camp. As a result, Ngakoue played out the final year of his rookie contract without a new deal, leading to animosity from him toward the franchise.
In March, Ngakoue announced he had no interest in signing a long-term contract with the Jaguars. A few weeks later, the Jaguars placed the franchise tag on Ngakoue, but the two sides have each dug in their heels since.
Ngakoue has made several public requests for the Jaguars to trade him, but so far it is clear the Jaguars have placed such a high price tag on the 25-year-old former Pro Bowler that a deal hasn't materialized.
What could be seen as encouraging for the Jaguars, however, is the fact that Caldwell and the fifth-year defensive end have at least been in touch with each other.
"As far as the Yannick situation goes, I think you'd have to talk to him. I'm very cautious of speaking for him. I know, you know, he and I have been in contact the last couple days," Caldwell said Tuesday.
"But I think that is for him to discuss. And, you know, he's earned the right to -- he has played his contract out and he's earned the right to do what's best for him and his family. So I'm going to defer any future questions to him and try to keep our conversations between he and I."
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 Ngakoue has repeatedly made it clear that he wants out of Jacksonville, the Jaguars' brass continues to sing his praises in terms of his ability to be ready to play when and if called upon. So while the Jaguars and Ngakoue have yet to come to a solution to their back-and-forth, the Jaguars at least know they will be getting a dependable player in the event Ngakoue does return to the team.
"Like I said before, he is one player I know who is always ready. He’s a player that is always ready and always taking care of himself," head coach Doug Marrone said on July 30.
"Like I said before, I am going to reiterate it again that as a coach you’d love for that perfect harmony between management and the players as far as the business end of things, and I think when you look at it both sides have rights from a management side to a player side. I think as a coach you’re always looking for a solution that you can be part of to help bring parties together."
