Yannick Ngakoue Does Not Make Pro Bowl; Jaguars Conditional Draft Pick Impacted
Yannick Ngakoue did not make the 2021 NFL Pro Bowl. This would seem to be of no significance any longer to Jacksonville Jaguars fans…except it was.
When Ngakoue was traded—after a months-long public dispute—to the Minnesota Vikings this offseason, the Jags in return were given a 2021 second-round NFL Draft pick and a 2022 conditional fifth-round draft pick.
The condition for the 2022 pick saw the fifth round selection become a fourth-round selection if Ngakoue made the Pro Bowl for the 2021 season. Furthermore it became a third-round pick if Ngakoue made the Pro Bowl and the Vikings won the Super Bowl.
After only five games, the Vikings traded Ngakoue to the Baltimore Ravens where he was reunited with former Jaguar Calais Campbell. During this past Sunday’s Week 15 game, Ngakoue had three tackles and two sacks along with a quarterback hurry against his former team. He also forced a fumble.
The Vikings trading Ngakoue to the Ravens didn’t change the terms of the original trade, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, who reported in October that the contract didn’t make the conditional details team-specific.
One enterprising Jaguars fan on Reddit not only read the fine print of the trade but saw an opportunity to get Ngakoue elected to the Pro Bowl so Jacksonville receives a better draft pick in 2022. Fan votes count as 1/3 of the final tally to get players placed on a Pro-Bowl roster.
So the Reddit user began encouraging Jags fans to stuff the ballot box for Ngakoue (fans have an unlimited number of votes). The fan then went a step further, and recruited fans of the Vikings NFC North rivals, the Green Bay Packers, Chicago Bears and Detroit Lions. They took it a step further and posted the crusade on a Reddit page for New Orleans Saints fans as well, hoping fans of the team the Vikings had knocked out of playoff contention the past two years would have interest in helping.
The original post reads: “Jags fan asking for your help in screwing over the Vikings by voting Ngakoue to the Pro Bowl. If Ngakoue makes the Pro Bowl, the 5th the Vikings gave us jumps up to a 4th (and possibly a 3rd if he makes the pro bowl and the Ravens win the Super Bowl, but that’s a much longer shot).”
According to The Washington Post, one Vikings fan responded with respect: “Vikings fan here. I do not support this but wholeheartedly respect this level of pettiness lol."
Since this year's Pro Bowl will be held virtually due to COVID-19, there are no alternate selections, meaning there is no room for a late entry.
Ngakoue has made one Pro Bowl in his career, earning the bid following the Jaguars AFC Championship run in 2017. Between his five games for the Vikings and seven games with the Ravens, Ngakoue has 22 tackles, eight sacks, four forced fumbles and one pass break-up this season.
No Jacksonville Jaguars were elected to the Pro Bowl this season.
