Yannick Ngakoue will likely demand trade after Jaguars franchise tag him

Yannick Ngakoue held out from training camp last year while seeking a long-term deal with the Jacksonville Jaguars, and it sounds like the star defensive end will take the same approach this offseason if he remains on the team’s roster.

There were multiple reports on Monday morning that the Jaguars are planning to use the franchise tag on Ngakoue. Around the same time those reports surfaced, Ngakoue tweeted that he is no longer interested in signing a long-term deal with the Jags and is looking forward to continuing his career with another team.

The Jaguars are aware I no longer have interest in signing a long term contract in Jacksonville. Duval, I love you and gave you guys everything I got. I’m thankful for the journey and look forward to continuing my career elsewhere. -91

— Yannick Ngakoue (@YannickNgakoue) March 2, 2020

The franchise tag for a defensive end would be worth roughly $19 million in 2020. Ngakoue held out for a significant portion of offseason workouts last year before reporting to avoid having his contract toll.

It’s unclear if the Jaguars plan to accommodate Ngakoue’s request, but they don’t technically need to do anything. They could refuse to trade the 24-year-old, at which point he would likely hold out. Ngakoue would then have to decide if he wants to go the Le’Veon Bell route by skipping an entire season.

Ngakoue had eight sacks last year and has 37.5 through his first four NFL seasons. He had a heated locker room exchange with one of his teammates late last season, and he clearly wants out of Jacksonville now.