The Jacksonville Jaguars are not dealing with Yannick Ngakoue – not at least soon, according to Jaguars general manager Dave Caldwell who spoke earlier today with national reporters Charles Davis and Alex Marvez on SiriusXM NFL Radio.
Yesterday a report from The Athletic’s Michael Lombardi explained that as the Jaguars and Yannick Ngakoue came closer to a breakup, Ngakoue would be traded from the team was ‘extremely close’ to dealing with the franchise-tagged defensive end.
According to NFL sources, Jacksonville is extremely close to dealing with Yannick Ngakoue today or tomorrow, having a solid supply in place – (hearing of a two). looks like this holdout is over soon and Jacksonville will get more picks for their refueling …
– Michael Lombardi (@mlombardiNFL) August 19, 2020
“That, the unsupported report has taken care of me as well,” Caldwell said on SiriusXM. ‘That, I do not know where it came from or who it came from. But, if he is trafficked, I wish someone would let me know. That, of course, we had conversations with teams, but since one hour today, that report was pretty wrong. “
Caldwell also cited another report from Lombardi, indicating that the Jets were a team in the hunt for Ngakoue.
“I know the person who did not tweet that,” Caldwell said, referring to Lombardi. ‘But he apparently did not pay much attention to detail. You know, we’re apparently working with the player and his agents, his new agents and trying to come to a good resolution for everyone. ”
Since the Jaguars placed the franchise tag, worth ~ $ 17.8M at Ngakoue earlier this offseason, the defensive end has on several occasions indicated his desire to be traded, and not sign a long-term deal with the club. That much has not changed, however, the Jaguars have restored a dialogue with Ngakoue.
In an interview with reporters on August 11, Caldwell indicated that after the change of agent from Ngakoue, he and the veteran defense attorney talks were resumed, however, he would not go into more detail about the case.
‘I know he (Ngakoue) and I have been in contact for the last few days, but that’s for him to discuss,’ Caldwell said. ‘He has earned the right to play out his contract, and he has earned the right to do what’s best for him and his family. That I will ask one of his future questions to him and try to keep our conversations between him and me. ”
The general manager went on to say that the team still cares for Ngakoue and would welcome him back with open arms. That much has not changed, and the thought process has remained within the Jaguars building since it all began, despite the social media posts made by the young defender.
While the Jaguars this season certainly want to know if Ngakoue will pass for them this season or not, it looks like there is nothing on the horizon at the moment. Trade talks will take time, and Caldwell says nothing will happen right away.
“Right now we’re in a holding pattern, he has a holding pattern, but we’ve been in contact with him and his agent,” Caldwell said today. “We’ve talked to some teams, but there’s nothing that comes right away that will happen here.”
