JAGS' GM DAVE CALDWELL HAS BEEN IN CONTACT WITH YANNICK NGAKOUE

Yannick Ngakoue (David Rosenblum/Icon Sportswire)

There has been communication between Yannick Ngakoue and the Jaguars in recent days. 

BY JORDAN DE LUGO

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A day after Yannick Ngakoue parted ways with his agent Ari Nissim, Jaguars' GM Dave Caldwell told the media that he's been in contact with Ngakoue over the last couple of days.

"I'm very cautious to speak for him (Ngakoue)," said Caldwell. "He and I have been in contact the last couple days, but I think that is for him to discuss and he's earned the right to — he's played his contract out — and he's earned the right to do what's best for him and his family. So, I'm going to defer any of his future questions to him and try to keep our conversations between he and I." 

What this all means isn't crystal clear, but the fact that Yannick Ngakoue is in communication with the Jaguars' GM could be seen as a positive from a Jaguars' perspective. Caldwell wouldn't comment on the content of his conversations with Ngakoue, but any dialogue is better than nothing. 

There are a couple of paths moving forward.

Ngakoue could sign his franchise tag and agree to play for the Jaguars, which would net him $17.788 million in 2020. But it wouldn't give him long term contract stability. Still, making nearly $18 million in one season would be huge for a young pass rusher who has earned less than $5 million in his career to date. 

He could also only agree to sign the tag only if a trade is in place, but as each day passes, it seems less and less likely that Dave Caldwell will receive an offer that matches the type of compensation he's looking for, which reportedly starts with a first-round pick. 

Finally, Ngakoue could also choose to hold out of the 2020 season entirely. That path would almost assuredly lead the Jaguars to place the franchise tag on Ngakoue again in 2021. 

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