What Are the Jaguars Options With DE Yannick Ngakoue’s This Offseason?

Which roads could the Jacksonville Jaguars take with Yannick Ngakoue once March is here?

As the initial weeks of the NFL's 2020 offseason continue to fly by, the Jacksonville Jaguars will have their focus spread across several areas. From free agency, to preparing for the NFL Draft, and even finalizing a coaching staff that still has a few spots left open, the Jaguars will be nothing short of busy.

And even with a number of moves that will have to be made, maybe the one situation the Jaguars will have the most eyes on will be the impending free agency of defensive end Yannick Ngakoue. Ngakoue's rookie contract has run its course and once free agency begins on Mar. 18, he could be free to sign elsewhere.

Ngakoue has been one of the brightest spots of the Jaguars since the team selected him in the third round in the 2016 NFL Draft. Since then, he has recorded 37.5 sacks (second-most in team history), 42 tackles for loss, 14 fumbles, two interceptions, and 85 quarterback hits. If, or when, he hits free agency, the 2017 Pro Bowler will be a highly sought after talent due to his ability to generate a pass-rush and turnovers off the edge.

Jacksonville tried to reach a deal with Ngakoue last summer, but negotiations broke down as tensions became strained between executive vice president of football operations Tom Coughlin and Ngakoue's camp. Ngakoue held out of training camp for a short period before turning to play in his fourth season without a deal, but the damage was done. Ngakoue wanted his deal in 2019, and a failure to make that happen has clearly made an impact.

Now, Jacksonville will enter the offseason with uncertainty surrounding Ngakoue. General manager Dave Caldwell has said that resigning Ngakoue is the team's “No.1 priority” in the past, but ultimately Caldwell will have to figure out how to get the Jaguars and Ngakoue to start seeing things the same way.

There are a number of ways the Ngakoue situation could end up playing out over the next coming weeks, and here is a summary of the different options the Jaguars have with their star pass-rusher.

Resign Ngakoue to a long-term deal before the 2020 season

This would obviously be the best-case scenario for all sides. Ngakoue would get the big-money, long-term deal he has been seeking since the 2018 season ended, while the Jaguars would be able to retain one of the best pass-rushers in team history.

With the salary cap expected to increase in 2020, Ngakoue can be expected to demand a contract similar to the one DeMarcus Lawrence signed with the Dallas Cowboys last offseason, which was a five-year, $105 million contract with $65 million guaranteed. Lawrence had 3.5 fewer sacks through five years than Ngakoue has through four years, but he still got a big payday.

Another contract Ngakoue's future deal could resemble is Frank Clark's with the Kansas City Chiefs. After the Chiefs traded for Clark from the Seattle Seahawks, Kansas City signed Clark to a five-year contract worth $105.5 million with $63.5 million guaranteed. Before Clark signed his deal, he had recorded 35 career sacks. Due to the similar production and timing of the deal, expect Ngakoue to be seeking equal or greater money than these two players.

Jacksonville could try to come to an agreement with Ngakoue before other teams are eligible to talk to him, or they could put pen to paper before Ngakoue even has a chance to hit the market.

Place the franchise or transition tag on Ngakoue

If the Jaguars feel like they can't make a deal with Ngakoue work, they could attempt to place the franchise or transition tag on him to try to ensure his prescence in 2020. A franchise tag can bind a player to a team for the following year under a set price tag, while the transition tag would guarantee the Jaguars the right of first refusal to match any offers other teams make to Ngakoue.

According to OverTheCap, the projected total of the franchise tag for a defensive end in 2020 is $19,316,000, while the transition tag is projected to cost $16,338,000. We have seen teams place tags on players and then later come to an agreement, as the Cowboys did with Lawrence in 2019, but in many cases, the tag is to extend contract talks for further down the road and ensure the player remains with the team.

Of course, the franchise and transition tags are not necessarily popular with players. There is no guarantee that just because the Jaguars tag Ngakoue that he will actually play under the one-year agreement. For example, Jadeveon Clowney refused to sign the franchise tag the Houston Texans placed on him in 2019 and eventually forced his way out of Houston via trade due to his refusal to sign a deal. There is always the chance Ngakoue has the same reaction.

Franchise or transition tag Ngakoue and attempt to trade him

This brings us to our next option. If the Jaguars are firmly told no in regard to Ngakoue signing either a long-term deal or the franchise tag, they could always attempt to franchise Ngakoue and attempt to deal him for draft picks. The Texans took this approach with Clowney and in turn received edge rusher Jacob Martin, edge rusher Barkevious Mingo, and a third-round pick in the 2020 NFL Draft.

Jacksonville could take a similar direction with Ngakoue if contract talks completely break down once again. But, as the Texans had to, they would have to find a team that is financially capable of taking on Ngakoue's hefty 2020 contract. Jacksonville could also be on the losing end of the trade in terms of value considering the fact that they would hold little leverage in this situation.

In this scenario, the Jaguars lose Ngakoue and save some money, but they don't likely don't get quite the haul some would expect.

Let Ngakoue walk for a compensatory picks

The final option is to not attempt to tag Ngakoue or sign him to a long-term deal. This option makes the least amount of sense by far considering the fact the Jaguars could only hope to get a compensatory pick out of it once Ngakoue signs elsewhere. But there isn't even a guarantee to get the pick and the pick would be substantially less valuable than Ngakoue himself. 

If the Jaguars don't think Ngakoue is worth the big deal he wants and also don't want to attempt to see how a potentially messy franchise tag situation played out, this would be their final real road to take.