Former Jaguars DE Yannick Ngakoue Treating Sunday 'As Another Game'

A smile crept on Jacksonville Jaguars linebacker Myles Jack's face when asked the question he knew would be coming on Thursday.

“I think Yan is going to play extremely hard on Sunday. He’s definitely going to play really, really hard on Sunday. I’m sure he’ll be playing hard," Jack laughed. "Absolutely.”

Yan is, of course, former Jaguars Pro Bowl defensive end Yannick Ngakoue. Ngakoue was once one of Jack's comrades in Jacksonville, a face of the defense and one of the most productive pass rushers in team history -- until things fell apart.

The elephant in the virtual room throughout this week has been the Jaguars facing Ngakoue and fellow former defensive linemen Calais Campbell. Nearly every Jaguars player or coach has been asked about it in virtual media meetings, and for good reason; Ngakoue and Campbell were giants in Jacksonville whose departures were emotion-filled.

But the two circumstances in which each was traded were vastly different. Campbell was surprisingly traded to the Ravens seemingly out of nowhere, a move to free up cap space.

Ngakoue, however, was in a bitter back-and-forth with the Jaguars for the entirety of the 2020 offseason. After most presumed Ngakoue, a former third-round pick who had become a fan-favorite and a favorite of the coaching staff, would play in Jacksonville for the bulk of his career, Ngakoue and the Jaguars had a falling out due to failed contract negotiations in 2019.

Ngakoue didn't hide his disdain for the Jaguars, though he has made a point to thank the franchise for giving him his NFL start. He went on a social media tour de force to attempt to push his way out of Jacksonville, resulting in a number of Twitter blow-ups -- including one at co-owner Tony Khan.

The Jaguars eventually ended the ordeal by trading Ngakoue to Minnesota for a 2021 second-round pick and a future conditional pick. After four seasons and 37.5 sacks, the second-most in team history, he was gone.

But despite the ugly end to his tenure in Jacksonville, Ngakoue isn't publically spouting off about his former team.

"I’m just treating it as another game. We need the rest of these wins to get to where we’re trying to get to," Ngakoue told Ravens media this week.

"At the end of the day, I had my time with Jacksonville – that’s not a secret. At the end of the day, I’m just going to treat it like another game, another Sunday. The fact that I’ve been playing with Calais since I’ve been traded here has been special to me; being able to rush with a guy who knows how I rush and things like that, not just for this particular game.”

Ngakoue's sentiment of any hard feelings is similar to the same message the Jaguars have given this week. After all, players and coaches know it is a business, and they won't let that aspect of the league interfere with relationships they forged over the years.

“That’s definitely going to be crazy for me. Those are my guys," Jack said Thursday.

"Yan, we came in together, so that’s like a brother to me. I’m always going to have love for Yan and I’m super proud of his journey through everything, even college going into the league and what he’s become and just becoming a household name and making plays and those famous strip sacks that he does."

The Jaguars (1-12) will travel to play the Ravens (8-5) in Week 15. The two will kick off at 1 p.m.