Yannick Ngakoue Could Be Latest Tag-and-Trade Option for Seahawks
In case you didn't hear, the Seahawks are in desperate need of pass rush help. After finishing the season 29th in the NFL with 28 sacks, the team already lost Quinton Jefferson in free agency and Jadeveon Clowney's status remains unknown as he makes a decision about his playing future.
Meanwhile in Florida, it's clear Pro Bowl defensive end Yannick Ngakoue is unhappy with his situation with the Jaguars and wants to be traded to another team.
The Jaguars recently gave the D.C. native the franchise tag, which is worth $17.788 million for the 2020 season. He's already made it known he has no intentions of signing a long-term deal to stay in Jacksonville, potentially forcing the organization to move him.
Let's rewind to before the start of the 2019 season. The Seahawks were also in search of help at defensive end at that time. Clowney held out of camp with the Texans and refused to sign his franchise tag, which was worth just over $17.1 million a year ago.
Sensing Houston would be desperate to move its disgruntled star, general manager John Schneider pulled the trigger on a trade that brought Clowney to Seattle under that franchise tagged deal, paying Houston a third-round pick for 2020 as well as defenders Jacob Martin and Barkevious Mingo.
Clearly, there are some advantages to making such a tag-and-trade as well as drawbacks.
Schneider and Seattle acquired a player who was unhappy in his current situation and, with not having signed the franchise tag, gave the Texans little leverage and the deal heavily favored the Seahawks.
However, since Clowney was traded after being franchise tagged, Seattle could not re-sign him until the 2019 season ended. And Schneider agreed not to use the tag again to help facilitate the trade in the first place, ensuring the former No. 1 overall pick would become a free agent for the first time and potentially leave after a one-year rental.
After arriving in August, Clowney was effective for Seattle, occasionally taking over games and amassing 31 tackles, 3.0 sacks, 13 quarterback hits, and seven tackles for loss. But he also battled through a sports hernia-related injury during the second half of the season, which limited his production.
Fast forwarding back to the present, while still facing the same problem they had eight months ago, could Seattle strike a similar deal to acquire Ngakoue?
Though the Texans were in a far worse situation, the Jaguars do not have much leverage, with Ngakoue clearly unhappy in Duval and Jacksonville eager to being a rebuild. They risk losing him for nothing at the end of 2020.
On the field, Ngakoue has been extremely durable, having only missed one game in his four seasons in the league out of Maryland. The 24 year-old earned a Pro Bowl nod in 2017, when the Jaguars were just a few plays away from playing in the Super Bowl. With 12.0 sacks, 23 quarterback hits, and 10 tackles for loss, he was one of the most disruptive defensive linemen in the NFL that season.
Last season, Ngakoue notched 8.0 sacks along with a career-high 41 tackles and tied his career-high with 13 tackles for loss. The production has always been there for the former third round pick, even if the team regressed horribly the past two years.
At 6-foot-2, 246 pounds, the 25-year old Ngakoue is more compact than the long, lanky Clowney, but nearly as athletic and far more explosive off the edge. He can pin his ears back and rocket past tackles as well as any edge rusher in the league today, bending around the corner to get to the quarterback.
Many Seahawks fans are hoping for a reunion with Clowney, and since his market hasn't developed as hoped, there's still a decent chance that happens. If he's willing to sign for under $20 million per year and doesn't receive a better offer, he'll likely come back to Seattle.
However, all it takes is one team to change that narrative and with Clowney taking his time to make a choice, it's far from guaranteed Schneider will lock him up and the team needs to have a backup plan ready.
Since Ngakoue would cost under $18 million next year, the Seahawks may be tempted to once again acquire a player playing on a franchise tag deal rather than break the bank to give Clowney a long-term extension given his injury history and modest sack totals. It all comes down to the draft compensation Jacksonville would ask for in return.
With Russell Wilson at quarterback and developing pieces around him, the Super Bowl window is wide open. Acquiring a player like Ngakoue, along with the addition of Bruce Irvin, would give Seattle's defense the ability to be disruptive once more.
