Jacksonville Jaguars defensive lineman Yannick Ngakoue is set to become of the top available free agents on the market next month, but the Jaguars may not let him get very far.
Jacksonville general manager Dave Caldwell would not provide much of an update on how talks between the Jags and Ngakoue are going, but he did say that the Jaguars are intent on keeping him:
“The best thing we can do as an organization is when we have news for you on that is to let you know,” Caldwell said Tuesday at the Scouting Combine, per James Johnson of Jaguars Wire. “There is a process that needs to be played. I think you guys know how we feel about him. We want him here. We’re going to try to get him here and keep him here, one way or another. I’ll leave it at that.”
That sounds like the franchise tag is in play, which is what many have figured all along.
The problem for Jacksonville is that it has very limited cap room to work with and will almost certainly have to make some cuts in order to bring back Ngakoue.
For that reason, signing the pass rusher to a long-term deal will definitely be a complicated process for the Jags, even if they know just how vital he is to their defense.
Ngakoue is coming off of a 2019 campaign in which he played 15 games and registered 41 tackles, eight sacks, an interception, four forced fumbles, a fumble recovery and a defensive touchdown.
The 24-year-old entered the NFL in 2016 and has one Pro Bowl appearance under his belt.
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