JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Throughout the offseason, players will trickle in and out of town during the Jaguars offseason program. Thanks to the latest collective bargaining agreement, these workouts are voluntary.
Defensive end Yannick Ngakoue was present for the beginning of the offseason program. According to the Athletic he left at some point later in the week.
Can confirm Yannick Ngakoue has been absent from voluntary workouts after being present for the first few days. If contract related, it’s a bit curious. Ngakoue’s market value has only increased by waiting for other pass rushers (Demarcus Lawrence, Frank Clark) to sign. #Jaguars
— Daniel Popper (@danielrpopper) May 2, 2019
Could be a sign that he’s done waiting, though. The market has been set, and Ngakoue has been eligible for an extension since December. It’s undoubtedly a risk to enter the final year of his rookie deal without long-term security. #Jaguars
— Daniel Popper (@danielrpopper) May 2, 2019
The latter tweet refers to Ngakoue's pontential contract extension. He's entering the final year of a four-year rookie deal that will pay the defensive end a total of $3.4 million. For comparision, once Josh Allen, whom the Jaguars drafted No. 7 overall, signs his rookie deal he'll stand to receive a signing bonus of $14.6 million.
It's not clear if Ngakoue left to send a message to the Jaguars. However, with 29.5 sacks over the last three seasons, a big payday is heading his way soon. Whether that's in Jacksonville or not remains to be seen.