Yannick Ngakoue has been acquired by the Minnesota Vikings in a trade with the Jacksonville Jaguars, according to multiple reports.
To get the star defensive end, the Vikings traded a 2021 second-round pick and a 2022 conditional fifth-round pick to the Jaguars, which ESPN’s Adam Schefter says could go as high as a third-round pick.
Jaguars agreed to trade franchise DE Yannick Ngakoue to Minnesota for a second- and conditional fifth-round pick that could go as high a third-round pick, league sources tell ESPN. Ngakoue still has to sign his tender, but trade is in place and Ngakoue is expected to be a Viking.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) August 30, 2020
Ngakoue, 25, is considered one of the top pass rushers in the NFL, having racked up 37.5 sacks and 14 forced fumbles in 63 games.
The trade of a high profile defensive end has already raised questions about the health of defensive end Danielle Hunter, who hasn’t practiced for the past two weeks. However, NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero reports that Hunter is not expected to miss extended time.
Nagakoue is said to have wanted out of Jacksonville, and as part of the trade the Vikings will sign him to a one-year franchise tender worth $17.9 million. ESPN’s Courtney Cronin reports that it is likely the Vikings will have to restructure other contracts to free up enough money to get the deal done.
Vikings have $12.9 million in cap space, so to get Ngakoue signed they're going to have to move some things around. Ngakoue has to sign his $17.8 million tender before he can work out a long-term deal, so look for MIN to restructure a contract & not cut someone to get that space
— Courtney Cronin (@CourtneyRCronin) August 30, 2020
