Yannick Ngakoue: ‘The Jaguars Are Aware I No Longer Have Interest in Signing a Long Term Contract In Jacksonville’
Shortly before it was reported Monday that the Jacksonville Jaguars would place the franchise tag on defensive end Yannick Ngakoue, the veteran pass-rusher took to Twitter and drew a line in the sand, playing his biggest card yet in his seeking of a big-money contract.
"The Jaguars are aware I no longer have interest in signing a long term contract in Jacksonville," Ngakoue tweeted. "Duval, I love you and gave you guys everything I got. I’m thankful for the journey and look forward to continuing my career elsewhere."
While this could just be a negotiation tactic, it is much more likely that Ngakoue has reached the end of his rope in contract talks with the Jaguars and the announcement of a franchise tag has made Jacksonville an unwanted destination for his future.
Ngakoue has hinted on social media for some time that this is where things were heading, but there was no hinting with this statement. Instead, Ngakoue came right out and let it known how he feels about his future, or lack thereof, in Jacksonville.
Adam Schefter of ESPN reported Monday the Jacksonville Jaguars would place the franchise tag on the 24-year old pass-rusher, signaling that contract talks between the Jaguars' front office and Ngakoue had not developed enough for a long-term deal to be reached.
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. He would be making less than Chicago Bears outside linebacker Khalil Mack, but would be making more than Kansas City Chiefs defensive end Frank Clark and Dallas Cowboys defensive end Demarcus Lawrence.
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.
With Ngakoue now clearly wanting a way out of Jacksonville, it has become increasingly likely for the Jaguars to perform a tag and trade like the Houston Texans did with Jadeveon Clowney last offseason. Jacksonville could tag Ngakoue and hope he reports to training camp in August, but that seems like a longshot at this point.
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.
