Getty Jacksonville Jaguars DE Yannick Ngakoue.
Many heads were turned when it was reported on Wednesday night that the Las Vegas Raiders were interested in making a trade with the Jacksonville Jaguars for Yannick Ngakoue. The Pro Bowl defensive end has been trying his hardest to get out of town, but the Jaguars haven’t budged yet. While the Raiders did draft two promising defensive ends in last year’s draft, any team could use a talent like Ngakoue on their roster.
The rumor that Las Vegas is interested in the pass rusher has been confirmed by a number of reporters, including Vic Tafur of The Athletic.
Ngakoue is only 25 years old and has never had a season in which he got less than eight sacks. The fact that he has caused such a ruckus while trying to get moved certainly hurts his value, but there’s no denying he’s a very talented player.
Ngakoue’s Contract Demands Could Hinder Deal
The biggest thing that will hold up a potential deal is the fact that the Jaguars aren’t going to give him up for cheap. Also, Ngakoue is due for a new contract and he clearly thinks he’s worth a pretty penny. According to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk, those two factors are hindering a potential deal:
“Per a source with knowledge of the situation, there are two impediments to getting a trade accomplished: Jaguars’ trade demands and the player’s contractual demands. The Raiders simply may not have the cash necessary to do a major deal.”
Previous reports indicated that Jacksonville is hoping to get the Raiders’ 12th pick in the first-round. There’s almost no way that’s going to happen and it’s questionable if they would even give up their second first-round pick for Ngakoue. With each passing moment, the Jaguars lose leverage. Ngakoue will almost certainly hold out until he gets traded and striking a deal after the draft isn’t ideal. Jacksonville clearly likes to play hardball and won’t give up one of their best players without adequate compensation. What it will come down to is just how much the Raiders value the pass rusher.
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Would Raiders Move Clelin Ferrell Inside?
Another thing working against the deal is that the Raiders might not even have that big of a need at defensive end. They drafted Clelin Ferrell and Maxx Crosby last season and recently signed Carl Nassib. If they traded for Ngakoue and planned to keep all of those players, the team may need to move some things around.
Vincent Bonsignore of the Las Vegas Review-Journal suggested Ferrell could play on the inside.
If a trade were to go down, Ferrell could move inside alongside Maliek Collins with Crosby/Ngakoue on the outside. Not a bad front four at all and plenty of depth
The 2019 fourth-overall pick played inside a bit in 2019 and perhaps a full transition could be beneficial. A pairing of Ngakoue and Crosby with Nassib coming in on passing situations is certainly enticing. The Raiders have struggled to get after the quarterback for several years now. Khalil Mack was a one-man show when he was still with the team and since he’s left, the Raiders’ sack numbers have gone down. Adding a player of Ngakoue’s caliber could give the team one of the stronger pass rushes in the NFL.
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