TRADE: Vikings Trading DE Yannick Ngakoue To Ravens

Adam Schefter of ESPN reports that the Vikings and Ravens are finalizing a trade that will send DE Yannick Ngakoue to Baltimore in return for a 2021 third-round pick and a 2022 conditional fifth-round pick.

The Vikings have already confirmed the news:

The #Vikings have traded DE Yannick Ngakoue to the Baltimore Ravens for undisclosed draft picks. pic.twitter.com/zNIKjq2K6V

— Minnesota Vikings (@Vikings) October 22, 2020

Ngakoue posted the following on Twitter:

https://twitter.com/YannickNgakoue/status/1319292535219482624

Ravens GM Eric DeCosta issued the following statement regarding the trade:

“We are excited to add Yannick Ngakoue to our football team. Yannick is someone who we are very familiar with going back to the draft process years ago. He is an exciting player and a dangerous pass rusher who makes us better. Yannick grew up here. He’s the type of person we welcome in our building. Finally, we are not finished building this team, as we continue to chase our ultimate goals.”

Ngakoue lasted just a few months in Minnesota after the Vikings traded a 2021 second-round and a conditional 2022 fifth-round to the Jaguars to get him.

There had been speculation that the Vikings could turn around and trade Ngakoue, considering that the team got off to a bad start to the season and will have some cap issues next year that could prevent them from re-signing Ngakoue.

Clearly, the Vikings felt it was better to get something for Ngakoue now than lose him for a compensatory pick in 2021. 

Ngakoue actually reworked his contract and agreed to lower his 2020 salary from $17.8 million on the franchise tag to a little under $13 million to facilitate the trade to the Vikings. 

Ngakoue, 25, is a former third-round pick of the Jaguars back in 2016. He played out the final year of his four-year, $3.48 million contract.

Ngakoue is in line to be an unrestricted free agent in 2021. 

In 2020, Ngakoue has appeared in six games for the Vikings and recorded 12 tackles, five sacks, and two forced fumbles.

We have him included in our Top 50 – 2021 Free Agents list.