NY Jets ‘deeply involved’ in trade talks for Yannick Ngakoue

The NY Jets are reportedly “deeply involved” in trade talks for star edge rusher Yannick Ngakoue.

The NY Jets could be set to make a major splash addition to their defense in the form of star pass-rusher Yannick Ngakoue, if reports are to be believed.

As reported by The Athletic’s Michael Lombardi, the Jets are “deeply involved” in trade discussions for the Pro Bowl pass-rusher. Lombardi iterated that he’s not sure that it will happen, but that the Jets are “trying.”

This comes soon after Lombardi tweeted out that the Jacksonville Jaguars were “extremely close” to trading Ngakoue and that the team had a “firm offer in place” for what was presumed to be a second-round pick.

It appears as though that team could be the Jets.

Ngakoue is one of the better pass-rushers in the NFL recording eight or more sacks in each of his four NFL seasons so far including a 12.0-sack performance in 2017 that landed him his first Pro Bowl nod.

The former Maryland star has also totaled four or more forced fumbles in three of his four seasons. Ngakoue would immediately become the Jets’ best edge rusher in years, likely since the days of John Abraham.

The star pass-rusher was franchise tagged by the Jaguars this offseason, but has iterated that he has no plans of playing another game with the organization. And he’s made his intentions very clear through his words on social media.

Yannick Ngakoue would be a huge addition to the NY Jets’ defense.

Nonetheless, adding Ngakoue would be massive for a Jets defense that lost its two best players in the matter of weeks. And given the barren state of the edge-rusher group, it certainly would fill a need.

At the moment, the Jets are slated to enter the 2020 season with the likes of Jordan Jenkins and Tarell Basham holding down the position. But neither is anywhere near the pass-rusher that Ngakoue is.

A third-round pick in the 2016 NFL Draft, Ngakoue has missed just one game through four years and established himself as a cornerstone of Jacksonville’s defense.

He would be needing a new contract, but for the price of a second-round pick, it’s hard to argue that it wouldn’t be worth it.

Despite months of a reported lack of interest, general manager Joe Douglas might be set to pull off a blockbuster trade that nobody saw coming.

If this turns out to be true, Joe Douglas is indeed a ninja.