Yannick Ngakoue Trade To Seahawks, Raiders, Ravens Imminent?
Is a Yannick Ngakoue trade to the Seattle Seahawks, Las Vegas Raiders or Baltimore Ravens imminent? That is the question many fans were left with this week after a series of seemingly erroneous reports going in a variety of different directions.
So what is the truth? Well, the Jacksonville Jaguars were involved in preliminary conversations regarding trading the 25-year-old, but nothing is imminent. That’s it. Nothing deeper or more complicated than that.
Earlier this week, reports emerged that the Jaguars were on the precipice of moving Ngakoue. The notion was quickly dismissed by Ngakoue’s agent, David Carter.
“Always a good day when a ‘reporter’ leaks a trade that’s not happening as of now and then gets duped by a fake Twitter account of a National reporter backing up his fake trade!! I love this site,” he tweeted.
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Always a good day when a “reporter” leaks a trade that’s not happening as of now and then gets duped by a fake Twitter account of a National reporter backing up his fake trade!! I love this site!!!
— DEC Management (@davidcanter) August 19, 2020
One day later, Jaguars general manager Dave Caldwell came out and confirmed that nothing of substance was in motion.
“I don’t know where it came from or who it came from, but if he’s being traded I wish someone would let me know,” he said.
“Obviously we’ve had discussions with teams, but as of 1 o’clock today that report was pretty erroneous.”
This prompted NFL insider Ian Rapoport to look into the entire situation. His review revealed that, as Caldwell indicated, there were some initial conversations – but no deal was imminent for Ngakoue.
“From what I can tell, there really isn’t much going on here besides that he hasn’t signed and the Jaguars are opened to trading him, but there’s nothing imminent,” he said.
“General manager Dave Caldwell said yesterday on Sirius Radio there was an erroneous report from a reporter that said a trade was imminent. Nothing is imminent.”
From @gmfb: No trade is imminent for the #Jaguars and Yannick Ngakoue, but a few teams (including the #Raiders) have kept an open mind and are monitoring the situation. A deal would be very challenging, but not impossible, to do. pic.twitter.com/YqzKVJNhHl
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) August 21, 2020
Yannick Ngakoue Has Many Potential Suitors
The reality at hand is that if the Jaguars want to trade Ngakoue, there will be plenty of interested parties.
Last year, in 2019, the 25-year-old recorded 41 tackles, eight sacks and an interception. He would provide an instant defensive boost for any organization he joins.
The Seahawks would make a lot of sense for Ngakoue. Although they have Bruce Irvin and Benson Mayowa already, any time you can go out and add someone who can rush the passer the way Ngakoue does, you do your due diligence.
Last year, Seattle recorded 28 sacks on the year. That was the second-worst mark in the entire NFL. Given the fact that this team just gave up two first round draft picks to acquire All-Pro safety Jamal Adams from the New York Jets, clearly the front office has an “all-in mentality” going into 2020. There are much worse ways to go than taking a bet on someone of Ngakoue’s stature.
Las Vegas could also be a good destination for Ngakoue. Although the Raiders have Clelin Ferrell and Maxx Crosby, adding a game-changing threat to get after opposing quarterbacks will pay dividends in the future. Given the uncertainty surrounding this team’s offense heading into next season, shoring up the defense seems like a smart play.
Finally, the Ravens are being mentioned a lot as a potential suitor for Ngakoue, but it is hard to see how that could possibly happen. Baltimore has $7.4 million in effective cap space and the 25-year-old’s franchise tag is $17.8 million. The math simply doesn’t jive.
The Jaguars will likely trade Ngakoue sooner rather than later, but of the teams being discussed so far, only the Seahawks and Raiders make sense as logical destinations.
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Charles Kruger has been credentialed to cover two Super Bowls, four NBA Finals, and one World Series. A 20-year veteran in the sports world, he has sources spanning the NBA, MLB, NFL, UFC and NASCAR. Currently residing in Los Angeles, Calif., he is Game 7’s go-to source for rumors surrounding the Lakers, Clippers and Dodgers.
