TRADE: Vikings Trade 2nd & Conditional 5th To Jaguars For Yannick Ngakoue

Update:

Yannick Ngakoue posted the following on Twitter thanking the Jaguars’ organization:

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

Albert Breer reports that the Vikings and DE Ngakoue specifically agreed to a one-year, $12 million deal, which is nearly $6 million less than he would have made from the Jaguars under the franchise tag.

According to Breer, this affects Ngakoue’s franchise tag figure in 2021. Ngakoue would be assigned the slotted defensive end franchise tag number, since it will be higher than 120 percent of $12 million he’ll make from the Vikings.

Breer adds that next year’s cap shortfall could mean that number is lower, but the Vikings have reportedly pledged to try to get a long-term deal in place. 

Albert Breer says new Vikings DE Yannick Ngakoue has agreed to lower his 2020 salary from $17.8 million on the franchise tag to a little under $13 million. 

Minnesota also made it clear to Ngakoue the plan is to sign him to a long-term deal next offseason. The deadline to negotiate an extension under the tag already passed on July 15. 

Ngakoue’s willingness to take around a $5 million pay cut shows how strongly the 25-year-old wanted out of Jacksonville.  

According to Adam Schefter, the Jaguars have traded DE Yannick Ngakoue to the Vikings for a second-round pick in 2021 and a conditional fifth-round pick in 2022. 

Schefter says the fifth can be as high as a third-round pick if Ngakoue makes the Pro Bowl and Minnesota wins the Super Bowl. If Ngakoue just makes the Pro Bowl, the pick becomes a fourth. 

Ngakoue is expected to sign his franchise tag valued at $17.8 million in order for the two sides to process the deal. 

Although Minnesota has just $12.5 million in available cap space, Schefter reports Ngakoue is expected to take a pay cut, which is allowed under the tag, on his deal with the Vikings to create cap space. 

Further restructures are also likely to add additional cap space for the Vikings. 

Jacksonville finally unloads Ngakoue after a standoff that’s last months and adds more picks to its 2021 haul. 

Meanwhile, Minnesota adds another star pass rusher across from Danielle Hunter to replace Everson Griffen as it looks to rebuild its defense. 

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 and made a base salary of $834,269 for the 2019 season.

In 2019, Ngakoue appeared in 15 games for the Jaguars and recorded 41 tackles, eight sacks, an interception, a defensive touchdown, four forced fumbles, a recovery and six passes defended. Pro Football Focus has him rated as the No. 36 edge rusher out of 107 qualifying players.