The NFL offseason is in full effect and free agency begins in under two weeks. Teams have already begun making trades and tagging key players. One of the top free-agent edge rushers was tagged this week- Yannick Ngakoue.
Ngakoue tweeted this week, stating “I no longer have interest in signing a long term contract in Jacksonville.” This came shortly after news had broke that Jacksonville will be placing their franchise tag on the stud pass-rusher.
Prior to receiving the franchise tag, Yannick Ngakoue and the New York Giants had “mutual interest,” according to a report by Matt Lombardo of nj.com. Acquiring Ngakoue will be an arduous task now that he has been tagged. But if the Giants want to, they could try to trade for Yannick Ngakoue.
What Would The Price Be?
The trade price for Yannick Ngakoue is likely to be comparable to the Frank Clark deal from last offseason. In that trade, the Chiefs traded a 2019 first and third-round pick to the Seahawks for Frank Clark, a 2019 third-round pick, and a 2020 second-round pick.
If the Giants want to trade for Ngakoue, they will have to pay a similar price. According to Jordan Raanan of ESPN, one NFL executive put the price for Jaguars EDGE Yannick Ngakoue at a first-round pick or two second-round picks. There is no way the Giants will give up the fourth overall pick. It is also highly unlikely the Giants would be willing to give up a second-round pick either.
This high price tag basically takes the Giants out of the race for Yannick Ngakoue unless they can get really creative with a trade offer. This is disappointing, especially when considering the fact that Ngakoue “wants to be a Giant,” according to Jodan Raanan.
Is Ngakoue Worth The Price?
On top of whatever a team will give up trading for Ngakoue, they will have to pay him. The pass-rusher has an estimated market value of $17.1 million, according to Spotrac. With all this taken into consideration, is Yannick Ngakoue worth the price?
Yannick Ngakoue is one of the most talented, young pass-rushers in the NFL. Through 4 seasons, Ngakoue has totaled 37.5 sacks. He has not had a single season in his career with less than 8 sacks, hitting that number in all 4 seasons including a career-high 12 sacks in 2017. Additionally, Ngakoue has totaled 122 combined tackles over 4 years.
Ngakoue might not be a game-breaking pass-rusher like Von Miller or Khalil Mack, but he is a highly productive player regardless. He would be a major upgrade for the Giants if they were to somehow acquire him. However, it is hard to envision this team with holes all over the roster and limited draft capital making a deal with Jacksonville.