Franchise-tagged defensive end Yannick Ngakoue received his wish on Sunday — a one-way ticket out of Jacksonville.
The Jaguars agreed to trade Ngakoue to the Minnesota Vikings for a 2021 second-round pick and a conditional fifth-round pick in 2022. The 2022 pick can become a third-round pick if Ngakoue is named to the Pro Bowl and the Vikings win the Super Bowl. Ngakoue had 37.5 sacks, 14 forced fumbles, and two interceptions in 63 games with the Jaguars.
The window to reach a long-term deal has passed for Ngakoue, but he will receive a revised one-year tender to cover the 2020 season until the extension can be made official, per multiple reports.
Ngakoue began his holdout shortly after he was given the franchise tag in March. He vowed not to return to the team.
Ngakoue said he wanted to be traded, and now follows standout yet emerging defensive players Jalen Ramsey (Rams) and A.J. Bouye (Broncos) out of Jacksonville via trade.
In Minnesota, he’ll join a top defense run by head coach Mike Zimmer and line up opposite Danielle Hunter, another 25-year-old pass rusher. Hunter established a record as the fastest to reach 50 career sacks last season. Ngakoue, a third-round draft pick from Maryland in 2016, held out last summer as he sought a contract extension in the range of $20 million a year. He ended his holdout after 11 days and played on the final season of his four-year, $3.28 million rookie deal, banking on catapulting a successful 2019 season into a big 2020 payday.
“I know my value, I know my worth,” he said last summer. “That’s all I can say. Doesn’t matter about anybody else knowing my value. I showed each and every year.”
–Field Level Media (@FieldLevelMedia)
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