Jaguars DC Todd Wash 'Was Excited' For Yannick Ngakoue Following Trade to Vikings
A few days after Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Doug Marrone gave his public support and congratulations to former Jaguars defensive end Yannick Ngakoue, one of the coaches closest to Ngakoue followed the same path.
Todd Wash has been Jacksonville's defensive coordinator since Ngakoue's rookie season in 2016, so he had worked closely with the former Pro Bowler during his entire career up to the point Jacksonville traded him to the Minnesota Vikings for a second- and a conditional fifth-round pick on Sunday.
“You know, I was excited for the player. It’s something that Yan wanted," Wash said when asked about his feelings when the deal went through.
"I’m excited for the club that—there was a deal made where, obviously, we feel comfortable with that. But the biggest thing is I think it worked out for both sides.
Wash acknowledged the fact that he enjoyed coaching Ngakoue for as long as he did, and this has been a common occurrence with Wash during the Ngakoue saga. But it is also time to look forward, Wash noted.
"Obviously, I have strong feelings for Yan and having him for three or four years and that kind of stuff. But I wish him nothing but the best. And both the organization and Yan, we all have to move on," Wash said.
Ngakoue was in a back-and-forth dispute with the Jaguars all offseason, but his issues originated even before that. Ngakoue was seeking a new deal in the 2019 offseason but the Jaguars and Ngakoue's camp failed to find much middle ground, leading to a short training camp holdout for Ngakoue and a resentment that never really cooled.
In four seasons, Ngakoue 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.
“I kind of went into the situation of exactly what I’ve been saying the whole time. I’ve had no issues with Yannick when he was here," head coach Doug Marrone said on Monday.
"At the end of the day, when you’re a coach and you’re sitting there, it’s almost like you feel like you’re in the middle. You want what’s best for the player. You want what’s best for the team. I think in this situation, I haven’t spoken to Yan, but obviously if he’s happy then I’m happy for him. The team feels good with the compensation so I’m happy for them and you just keep going forward.”
