The Jacksonville Jaguars officially placed the non-exclusive franchise tag on star edge rusher Yannick Ngakoue on Friday, locking him into at least a one-year contract worth $19.3 million.
The move was expected this offseason, but Ngakoue might not stay in Jacksonville much longer. On March 2, Ngakoue tweeted out his farewell and made it clear he has no plan to play for the Jaguars again.
Ngakoue held out in training camp last season, seeking a long-term contract extension. When a deal wasn’t reached, he returned to the team and recorded 13 tackles for loss, eight sacks and four forced fumbles in 15 games.
The Jaguars are expected to explore sign-and-trade options this season with the Seattle Seahawks already reportedly interested in Ngakoue. Seattle boasts two second-round picks this season, a result of the Frank Clark trade last offseason, and could use one of the picks to acquire Ngakoue.