News in the NFL is striking at odd times during the COVID-impacted preseason. The blockbuster Jamal Adams trade occupied the final week of July, and the Everson Griffen signing held us over for the past few days. Now, it’s Jacksonville EDGE Yannick Ngakoue, who’s been long-disgruntled with the Jaguars’ front office and was placed on the trade block. Apparently, the bells are ringing again on a nearing Ngakoue deal.
https://twitter.com/mlombardiNFL/status/1296163298036068356
With a Ngakoue deal rumored, here are the four teams who have been most closely connected to Ngakoue over the duration of his trade availability, as well as the potential packages and likelihood that such deals would get done for each squad.
New York Jets
The Jets should be considered the running favorites for Ngakoue, especially when you consider that Lombardi, from whom the original report came, seems to have a bead on their interest.
https://twitter.com/mlombardiNFL/status/1296182925478764545?s=20
Independent of sources, the logic tracks well. The Jets haven’t had a double-digit sack season since Calvin Pace in 2013—before then, it was John Abraham in 2005! That’s one season in the last 13 years for the Jets in which they had a true impact pass-rusher screaming off the outside corner. Since then, such players like Muhammad Wilkerson and Sheldon Richardson have kept things afloat with interior rush presence as Jordan Jenkins has provided quality EDGE2 seasons. But these are just salves on a deeper wound of poor EDGE play.
But trades are about more than just need: financials and returning value comes into play, and the Jets bring both to the table. The Jets have the third-most cap room in 2021 and the sixth-most in 2022, with plenty of room on the books to pay for a defensive star now that Trumaine Johnson’s contract is off the roster and Adams isn’t in town to receive an extension. The Adams deal also gives the Jets an extra first- and third-rounder in 2021 and another first in 2022, which means they have plenty of capital to get the deal done. Ngakoue’s fit in Gregg Williams’ aggressive four-man front is also swell, as Ngakoue often wins with first-step quickness.
The only hesitation here considers other plans the Jets may have for their war chest of future picks. With uncertainty in Sam Darnold’s future as a franchise quarterback, the Jets may be hoarding picks and eyeing the top-heavy 2021 quarterback class with such stars as Clemson’s Trevor Lawrence and Ohio State’s Justin Fields. If they want to build a trade-up package, they can’t spend too many picks grabbing Ngakoue—but with Fields and Lawrence yet undeclared and college football in disarray, playing for the 2021 draft class is a risky proposition.
All in all, this is your front-runner, as Joe Douglas looks to build the Jets through the trenches and return them to AFC East contention.
Potential package: 2021 second-round pick, 2021 fifth-round pick, CB Blessaun Austin
Likelihood: High
Seattle Seahawks
Rumored to be long involved in discussions with Griffen’s camp before the veteran EDGE found a deal with the Dallas Cowboys, the Seahawks not only need a player of Ngakoue’s services, but are experienced in sculpting deals for franchise-tagged rushers. The Seahawks acquired Jadeveon Clowney’s services from the Houston Texans last year for a third-rounder, Jacob Martin, and Barkevious Mingo—and this was before we knew just how poorly Bill O’Brien was managing that team. In the deal, the Seahawks not only got Clowney, who was a critical part of their defense, but they got Houston to pick up almost half of the money on Clowney’s franchise tag in the process.
This model may be chased by many teams, who are saving cap space in the post-COVID tightening of wallets, but with an Adams extension looming, the Seahawks may struggle to fit yet another star defender on their books in the long-term. Of course, Ngakoue could be a one-year rental, just as Clowney was—but with a second-round pick apparently at the core of the deal, that would put Seattle out of their first, second, and third-round selections for the 2021 NFL Draft. It would be an unbelievably bold push of the chips onto this season from Pete Carroll and John Schneider.
But the need is evident and the fit is nice, especially when you consider that 2019 first-rounder L.J. Collier seems to once again be struggling at camp and 2020 third-rounder Darrell Taylor is still rehabbing from injury. This is an unlikely trade destination because of the moves the Seahawks have already made, but if they’re pushing all in, the fit is snug.
Potential package: 2021 second-round pick, CB Tre Flowers
Likelihood: Low
Las Vegas Raiders
Much has been made of the Raiders’ interest in Ngakoue, which is an understandable relationship given the state of their current EDGE room, populated by young players. The Raiders seem to have hit gold on fourth-rounder Maxx Crosby, one of five players in NFL history to grab double-digit sacks in his rookie season after being selected in Round 4 or later. But the expected star, fourth overall selection Clelin Ferrell, struggled to get the engines running in Year 1, while LSU’s Arden Key remains a mercurial situational rusher and Carl Nassib is a mediocre depth piece.
In all, the Raiders were fourth-worst in ESPN’s Pass Rush Win Rate for the 2019 season. There’s promise here, but a reliable starter would do wonders.
The Raiders would have to be willing to bench one of Ferrell or Crosby, which could force a difficult decision between the highly-drafted disappointment and late-drafted regression alert, but Ngakoue makes a budding defense that much better, that much quicker. With all of their Khalil Mack draft capital spent and a star pass-rusher yet acquired, the Raiders are in a good position to make an aggressive trade for Ngakoue, though they do have to ensure their books can survive the deal: the Raiders are projected the fifth-lowest amount of cap space in 2021 and sixth-lowest in 2022.
Potential package: 2021 second-round pick, 2021 fourth-round pick
Likelihood: Medium
Philadelphia Eagles
Is there a trade to which the Eagles aren’t tethered anymore? General manager Howie Roseman is known as an aggressive wheeler-dealer, and particularly in the case of explosive Wide 9 rushers that fit Jim Schwartz’s system, there is understandable smoke around Philadelphia’s interest in Ngakoue, which has been long-rumored. But there’s no fire here.
For one, the Eagles have two starting EDGEs: Brandon Graham, who is under contract for the next two seasons, and has three voided years of guarantees ready to roll up onto the cap whenever he is cut, traded, or at the end of his deal; and Derek Barnett, on the fourth year of his rookie deal, with his fifth-year option incoming. Trading Graham would be difficult to make space for Ngakoue, while trading opposite starter Derek Barnett would be a bit easier. Even with the Eagles’ defensive line rotations considered, it would require a trade of one of these two players to make Ngakoue work from both on-field and financial perspectives.
The financials are an extremely big deal. The Eagles are projected to have the least amount of cap space among all NFL teams over the next two seasons, which puts them in the biggest COVID hole out of which to dig with clever contract maneuvering. There’s a lot Roseman can do, but making $70M disappear off of the 2021 books without some help from rolling over 2020 cap space seems outside of even his reach.
With Barnett and Graham entrenched as starters and Josh Sweat and the recently re-signed Vinny Curry also on the depth chart (2019 fourth-rounder Shareef Miller and trade acquisition Genard Avery notwithstanding), the Eagles simply don’t need Ngakoue that badly—certainly not badly enough to justify the horrible financial situation they would incur.
Potential package: EDGE Derek Barnett, 2021 fourth-round pick
Likelihood: Low
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