Why a July Deadline Matters for the Jaguars and a Potential Yannick Ngakoue Trade
As the NFL offseason progresses, more and more disgruntled players are having their wishes granted and getting traded to new teams. From Stefon Diggs to Darius Slay, it has already been an eventful week for players seeking new scenery.
But what about Jacksonville Jaguars defensive end Yannick Ngakoue? Ngakoue has been just as vocal on social media about wanting to be traded as Slay and Diggs, but so far there has been no trade in the works for the 24-year-old pass-rusher.
At the beginning of this month, Ngakoue wrote on Twitter that he was no longer interested in signing a long-term deal in Jacksonville. This followed months of hints from Ngakoue that he was unhappy with the Jaguars, and ever since his announcement on Twitter, he has maintained his discontent.
But even with Ngakoue's apparent eagerness to follow Diggs and Slay in finding a new home this offseason, the Jaguars have yet to move on a deal for the fifth-year pass-rushing specialist who they placed the franchise tag tender on earlier this month.
Does this mean Ngakoue won't be traded at some point? Of course not. But the clock is ticking for the Jaguars to get proper value in exchange for Ngakoue, who has 37.5 sacks and 14 forced fumbles since being drafted in the third round in 2016.
Essentially, the Jaguars can trade Ngakoue whenever he signs his franchise tender, whether this is in April or August. But if the Jaguars wait too long, they could suffer the same fate as the Houston Texans did with Jadeveon Clowney and receive little in return for Ngakoue.
In short, there is a July 15 deadline the Jaguars will have to adhere to if they want to maximize their chances to get proper compensation for a young and productive defensive end.
At 4:00 p.m. eastern time on July 15, there is a deadline for any club that designated a franchise tag on a player to sign that player to a multiyear contract or extension. After this date, the player may sign only a one-year contract with his prior club for the 2020 season, and such contract cannot be extended until after the club’s last regular season game.
In summary, the Jaguars, or any other team that trades for Ngakoue, has until July 15 to agree to a long-term deal with Ngakoue. This makes the difference between a team trading for a player they can have secured on the roster for several years versus a team trading for a potential one-year rental.
The Texans failed to meet this deadline with Clowney. He hadn't signed his tender by then, nor had the team found a trade partner for him by the July deadline. Because of this, Clowney was going to play on a one-year deal wherever he played in 2019.
Which is more enticing to a team: trading for multiple years of production from Clowney, or trading for potentially one single season? The answer is obvious, and it applies to the Jaguars and Ngakoue as well.
Because the Texans failed to find a trade partner for Clowney by the deadline, they received poor value for a player who otherwise could have netted them a first-round pick.
For context, here is the compensation the Texans got for Clowney compared to the compensation the Kansas City Chiefs and Seattle Seahawks got for Dee Ford and Frank Clark following their trading of the franchise-tagged players earlier in the same offseason.
- Texans' haul for Clowney (traded on Aug. 31): OLB Jacob Martin, OLB Barkevious Mingo, and a third-round pick in the 2020 NFL Draft.
- Chiefs' haul for Ford (traded on March 12): Second-round pick in the 2019 NFL Draft.
- Seahawks' haul for Clark (traded on April 23): First- and third-round picks in the 2019 NFL Draft and a second-round pick in 2020.
Despite Clowney being at the same talent level of Clark, and at a higher level than Ford, the Texans got significantly less for him than other teams got for their franchise tagged pass rushers.
Why? Because those teams were able to negotiate new contracts with Clark and Ford. Any team trading for Clowney didn't have the same privilege once the July 15 deadline passed.
This is the reality the Jaguars face. If they are indeed going to trade Ngakoue, then they will have to do so before July 15 to ensure they get compensation that is in line with Ngakoue's talent and production. Any team that trades for Ngakoue will want to sign him to a multiyear contract. If the Jaguars let the deadline pass, then no team will be able to, significantly diminishing his value and the Jaguars' leverage.
Whether Ngakoue gets traded or plays for the Jaguars in 2020 is yet to be determined. But if Ngakoue is set to follow in the path of franchise tagged pass-rushers before him, the Jaguars need to at least be cognizant that they are working against a deadline.
