Free Agent Profile - DE Yannick Ngakoue Should the Jets be aggressive in signing the 25 year old pass rusher who has 8+ sacks each of his 5 season in the NFL? Let me hear from you TGG!
He forced his way out of Jacksonville because that organization is a joke and they weren't going to pay him. Minnesota traded for him on a 1 year rental and decided to trade him to Baltimore for picks when they realized their playoff hopes were cooked and they couldn't afford to pay him. Now, the Ravens are in a tough spot right now with only 18M in cap space, Judon and Ngakoue are FAs, and Jackson needs a new deal. Free agency this year is going to be an absolute madhouse due to the cap dropping, there are going to be a lot of very talented players that hit the market. There is no need to overthink this.
Overthinking is finding a red flag that isn't there. When you look at the whole picture rather than "5 seasons, 3 teams and possibly going on his 4th" you can see there isn't a red flag.
I guess that's your take. When there is a goldmine of talent in FA, I don't see the wisdom in overpaying a player that forced his way out of one team and was traded twice during one season. You are justifying the trades but the simple fact is that 2 teams traded for him and neither saw fit to prioritize bringing him back. I'll pass.
If he's still floating around post-draft and JD couldn't get a top pass rusher in round 1, then maybe kick the tires. Saleh's D schemes require the front 4 to get home. So ya, we will need help up front but would like to see it from the draft if at all possible.
I'd rather pay Allen Robinson or Kenny Golladay to pair with whoever is playing QB next year than Ngakoue, that's for sure.
With Saleh’s background I wouldn’t be surprised to see a major FA at EDGE and a relatively high draft pick at the position also...
A lot of FA's will shake free this year due to lower cap. I would take a flyer on this guy to be honest. We didn't have a legit pass rusher for years now. Saleh will find a way to use him for sure.
He's not worth it to overpay, and he definitely seems to have a problem with structure or authority. Kind of the constant with the three coaches he played for (Harbaugh less so though). I dunno. Doesn't seem like he wants anything but a massive pay day and I wouldn't give it to him. Good 4-3 end when he wants to be though.
Maybe Saleh gets the most out of him? And maybe his price tag won't be as lucrative as he wants it to be. This is an example of a player that hurt themselves in the long run because of he and his agents greed. Two teams have now taken a net loss on acquiring him, and byz is right - three teams in a year is a big red flag.
I agree 3 teams is a bit of a problem, but I also see how the cap space could have been the issue. Viking and Ravens both have cap issues. Viking are over the cap and Ravens have to lock up Jackson, so they will be close. That makes it hard to lock up any player much less a premier edge guy. That said, as you eluded to earlier, I would not over spend on him. There should be no reason to. He won't return to Jacksonville, and I doubt he wants to play for bellishit since he doesn't care much for extreme discipline.
QB, LT, Edge, DB. These are the 4 most important positions, and if you have elite players at all 4 you're looking at $100M per year in cap. $40+$20+20+20. That's half the entire payroll on 4 guys. That's why is really important to get all 4 of these guys on rookie deals and go for the rings. After that, the team falls apart (Seattle).
Robert Saleh was the Jaguars’ linebacker’s coach the year Jacksonville drafted Ngakoue, and his familiarity with the 25-year-old combined with the Jets’ defensive front could make this an ideal match. I think we should have a look but it depends on the price. https://fansided.com/2021/03/04/yannick-ngakoue-rumors-best-fits-in-nfl-free-agency/5/
