Report: Jaguars Will Franchise Tag Impending Free Agent DE Yannick Ngakoue
Yet another twist in the Yannick Ngakoue free agency saga has taken place, as Adam Schefter of ESPN has reported the Jacksonville Jaguars will place the franchise tag on the 24-year old pass-rusher.
Ngakoue, the team's third-round selection in the 2016 NFL Draft, has been seeking a long-term contract reportedly worth $22 million per year, which would make him the league's highest-paid defensive end.
Ngakoue has been one of the Jaguars' best players since being drafted in the third round of the 2016 NFL Draft, and the young and talented pass-rusher now wants to cash in on the production he has recorded since entering the league. Ngakoue has 37.5 sacks in his career (second-most in Jaguars' history), 42 tackles for loss, and 14 forced fumbles.
By franchise tagging Ngakoue, the Jaguars would have until June to work out a long-term deal with him, if Ngakoue would even be interested. The franchise tag would cost $19.3 million, taking up a sizeable chunk of the Jaguars' cap space.
The Jaguars and Ngakoue engaged in short-lived talks on a long-term contract extension last summer, but the negotiations quickly fell apart between Ngakoue's camp and the Tom Coughlin-led front office.
General manager Dave Caldwell has said it is the team's No. 1 priority to reach a deal with Ngakoue, but it has become increasingly unlikely.
"There is still a process that needs to be played, but I think you guys know how we feel about him," Caldwell said to the media Tuesday at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis. "We want him here. We are going to try to get him here and keep him here one way or another, so I think I will leave it that."
The deadline for a tag being placed on players has changed this year due to the ongoing collective bargaining agreement talks between the NFL and the NFL Players Association. The deadline is now from Feb. 27 through Mar. 12.
Ngakoue recorded eight sacks and four forced fumbles for the Jaguars in 2019. His best season came in 2017, where he recorded a career-high 12 sacks and six forced fumbles and was named to his first Pro Bowl.
