Report: Jaguars trading Ngakoue to Vikings for draft picks
The Jacksonville Jaguars have agreed to trade defensive end Yannick Ngakoue to the Minnesota Vikings in exchange for a 2021 second-round pick and a 2022 conditional fifth-rounder, ESPN's Adam Schefter reports, citing sources.
Conditions attached to the fifth-round selection could push the pick as high as the third round, Schefter adds.
While the deal has yet to be officially announced, Ngakoue appeared to confirm the news on Twitter Sunday evening.
It’s evident that my time in Jacksonville is up. But I want to say thank you to the organization for making it a home for myself for 4 years, and that I’ll never forget . That chapter is over with now. Nothing lasts forever. But I’m truly excited to start this new chapter! SKOL!
— Yannick Ngakoue (@YannickNgakoue) August 30, 2020
Ngakoue, who's been staying away from Jaguars camp after receiving the $17.78-million franchise tag in March, will need to sign the one-year tender to facilitate the trade. Because the extension deadline for such players passed in July, the Vikings won't have the opportunity to sign their star acquisition to a long-term deal until after the season.
The Vikings are working with Ngakoue to restructure the one-year deal to just under $13 million, according to the MMQB's Albert Breer, with an eye toward agreeing to a long-term extension in 2021.
Stepping in opposite Danielle Hunter following the offseason departure of veteran defensive end Everson Griffen, Ngakoue once again gives Minnesota an outstanding tandem on the edge.
Meanwhile, Jacksonville now owns four picks in the first two rounds of the 2021 draft, which include the Los Angeles Rams' first-round selection from the Jalen Ramsey trade.
Ngakoue, a third-round pick in 2016, has quietly been one of the league's most effective pass-rushers for the last four seasons. The 25-year-old tallied an impressive 37.5 sacks and 14 forces fumbles over that stretch, and his 232 pressures rank 11th among all edge defenders, according to PFF.