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To no one’s surprise, the Jacksonville Jaguars will be using their franchise tag on 24-year old pass rusher Yannick Ngakoue, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.
Jacksonville Jaguars will use their franchise tag on pass-rusher Yannick Ngakoue, per league sources. The tag will allow them to try to trade him if that’s what they decide or are forced to do.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 2, 2020
The Jaguars had been trying to work on a long-term deal for Ngakoue since last offseason, but reports are that quickly went awry with Tom Coughlin heading things up and discussions leaked. Nagkoue skipped some voluntary workouts and held out for a few days, but ultimately played the 2019 season notching another eight sacks and playing through a hamstring injury.
The Jaguars indicated Ngakoue is a priority to re-sign this offseason, as he should be, however it appears the two sides have not yet been able to agree to a long term deal, so the team is going to use the franchise tag, which if signed and played under, will pay Ngakoue $19,316,000 for 2020.
The word on the street is that the two sides are not that far apart in terms, so it’s still possible the tag is rescinded and the two sides agree to a long-term contract.