One of the top free agent pass rushers this offseason may not become a free agent after all. According to reports, the Jacksonville Jaguars are preparing to place the franchise tag on 24-year-old defensive end Yannick Ngakoue.
Placing the franchise tag on Ngakoue will cost the Jags approximately $19.3 million, unless they are able to trade him this offseason, which is a very real possibility.
Ngakoue tweeted Monday morning that he no longer wants to a sign a long-term deal with Jacksonville.
Despite no longer being on the open market, Ngakoue will still certainly garner attention on the trad block if Jacksonville makes him available for trade.
The young pass rusher has tallied at least eight sacks in each of his four NFL seasons, posting a career high of 12 back in 2017. He has all the tools to continue being a dominant force off the edge. The only question is, where will he continue his dominance?
It seems pretty clear that his time in Jacksonville is nearing an end, although the team would probably like to see him remain a Jaguar. The team offered him a long-term deal last offseason after Ngakoue held out of OTAs and minicamp.
The deal reportedly averaged $19 million per year, but Ngakoue was seeking an average salary of about $22 million.
This Ngakoue dilemma could go in a few different directions for Jacksonville, we’ll get a clearer picture of what his future holds once free agency officially opens on March 18th.
