JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The Jaguars will use their franchise tag on defensive end Yannick Ngakoue, league sources told ESPN’s Adam Schefter on Monday.
The tag will allow them to try to trade him if that’s what they decide or are forced to do.
Ngakoue tweeted Monday morning that his time in Jacksonville is over.
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 carries an approximate salary of $19.3 million in 2020.
Ngakoue, who turns 25 on March 31, wanted a new deal before last season, but negotiations broke down and he skipped most of OTAs as well as the mandatory minicamp. The Jaguars reportedly offered a deal that averaged $19 million annually while Ngakoue’s camp was seeking something similar to the $22 million that quarterback Nick Foles signed for.
He held out of the first 11 days of training camp and was fined $528,650, which included $88,650 for skipping the three-day minicamp in June. Ngakoue made $2.02 million last season.
In just four seasons, Ngakoue, a third-round pick in 2016, is already second in franchise history with 37.5 sacks — Tony Brackens holds the record with 55 — and has forced 14 fumbles, which is fourth in the NFL over that span behind Khalil Mack (17), Chandler Jones (17) and T.J. Watt (15).
Ngakoue had eight sacks and set a career high with 41 tackles and tied his career high with 13 tackles for loss in 2019.