Vikings acquire Yannick Ngakoue from Jacksonville Jaguars

With just two weeks remaining before the start of the 2020 NFL season, the Minnesota Vikings have made a pretty big splash by adding one of the league’s best young pass rushers.

Multiple sources have reported that the Vikings have agreed to the terms of a trade that would send defensive end Yannick Ngakoue from the Jacksonville Jaguars to Minnesota. In exchange, the Jaguars will receive the Vikings’ second-round pick in the 2021 NFL Draft and a conditional fifth-round pick in 2022.

Ngakoue was drafted by the Jaguars in the third round of the 2016 NFL Draft out of Maryland. The Jaguars placed the franchise tag on him this past March, despite Ngakoue’s request that they not do so, even getting into an argument with Jaguars ownership about it on Twitter. He has reportedly accepted a pay cut to his one-year franchise tender amount of just under $18 million to facilitate the trade, showing just how much he wanted out of Jacksonville.

With the acquisition of Ngakoue, the Vikings once again have one of the best young pass rushing duos in the NFL in Ngakoue and Danielle Hunter. Both are just 25 years old and appear to still have their best years ahead of them. There’s still the matter of an extension for Ngakoue to be worked out, but I don’t think Rick Spielman and company would have swung this deal if they didn’t think they could get something done.

Ngakoue will likely step directly into the spot that had been occupied by Everson Griffen on the Vikings’ defense, with Ifeadi Odenigbo. . .who had been expected to step into the starting role this year. . .providing backup at the defensive end spots.

Once again, the Minnesota Vikings and the Jacksonville Jaguars have agreed to the terms of a trade that will send pass rusher Yannick Ngakoue to Minnesota. We will, obviously, have more on this over the course of the day today.