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Let’s answer some Jacksonville Jaguars questions as we head into TRAINING CAMP, folks!
Today we’re talking Yannick Ngakoue, franchise tags, and if former Presidents get Secret Service protection even if they’re in jail.
Chevin from Jacksonville, FL
Q: What do you think the Jaguars are looking for in terms of compensation for Yannick Ngakoue?
A: Jacksonville is looking for at least first round pick compensation. I think a lot of people believe the Jaguars are ready to move Yannick Ngakoue based on how quickly we let Jalen Ramsey go in a trade, but you have to remember... the Los Angeles Rams offered us two first round picks for him! That’s a king’s ransom. You don’t turn down that offer unless it’s for a Patrick Mahomes caliber quarterback. Dave Caldwell is sitting tight and he’ll force Yannick to play out his contract (and whatever subsequent franchise tags he decides to throw on him) or sit out the season, resulting in Yannick missing out on the money and the additional year of accrual. That delays his progress towards free agency.
Diz from Frisco, TX
Q: Does Yannick Ngakoue bite his tongue for this season and end up playing on the tag for the Jaguars?
A: I thought Demetrius Harvey had a good explanation here, so fast forward to about an hour in to hear that. In short, he thinks Yannick Ngakoue doesn’t play this season because Yannick is a man of his conviction. If he says he’s going to do something, he’s going to do it... and vice versa. I’m on the opposite side of the fence — I just can’t see Yannick giving up the money or the ability to get a year closer to free agency. For better or worse, the Jaguars hold all the cards on this one.
Thomas from Gainesville, FL
Q: Does a former President still get Secret Service protection if they’re sent to prison? Just kinda wondering...
A: Yes. I’ll let Daniel Engbar from Slate give you more details...
Barring an act of Congress, the responsibility of the Secret Service to protect a former president or first lady would not disappear because that person had been convicted of a crime. This has never happened, though, and any potential details of such an arrangement are mysterious even to Secret Service veterans and other experts on the agency. A spokesman for the Secret Service refused even to address the issue. “It’s a road we would have to go down if it ever happened,” he told the Explainer. “It’s not something we’re going to think about unless it happens.”
A prison setting might be safe in some regards. An incarcerated former president or first lady wouldn’t have to worry too much about being kidnapped, for example, or blackmailed for information. But he or she would be at a heightened risk of violence. (Rapes and other assaults occur 15 to 30 times more often among prisoners than in the general population.) It’s possible the Secret Service would deploy a protective detail at the facility, with agents stationed in the cellblock, the prison yard, or otherwise in the vicinity of the VIP inmate.
In this scenario, agents wouldn’t have to be hanging out inside the former president or first lady’s cell—just close enough to keep an eye out. The situation might be analogous—loosely analogous—to how the Secret Service protects the president’s children while they’re in school.
So there you have it. The President would still have Secret Service protection, even if they were incarcerated.
Kyle from Fredericksburg, VA
Q: Yannick Ngakoue’s jerseys are on sale. Is this a foreshadowing for things to come?
A: No. If this is true, I would just assume his jerseys are just in less demand, meaning retailers are looking to unload whatever inventory they have.
Peter from Canberra, Australia
Q: Do you think the locker room culture will be improved this year?
A: Yes. I like Doug Marrone as a head coach. I think he’s a net neutral on most days and a net positive on his best days — which happen more often than his worst days. With a roster that will be young (12 draft picks and a couple dozen undrafted free agents) as well as the quarterback position settled and players like Jalen Ramsey off the team, the locker room will be better.