YANNICK NGAKOUE ON NFL LIVE: 'IT'S TIME TO MOVE ON'

Yannick Ngakoue (Zach Bolinger/Icon Sportswire)

Yannick Ngakoue remains steadfast in his desire to put Jacksonville in the rearview. 

BY JORDAN DE LUGO

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Disgruntled defensive end Yannick Ngakoue joined NFL Live on ESPN Tuesday afternoon. 

The Jaguars placed the franchise tag on Ngakoue last month, and he's been vocal about his opposition to the franchise tag and about his desire to play elsewhere. The Jaguars have seemingly remained committed to keeping Ngakoue. But teams around the league are interested in trading for the ascending pass rusher. 

Ngakoue spoke to Wendy Nix and Adam Schefter for just under five minutes, covering a range of topics, including his continued desire to be traded, what he brings to a football team, and the charitable work he's doing during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

On his desire to be traded:

"The organization (Jacksonville) had the opportunity to keep me long term last offseason. Talks broke off. Everything happens for a reason, and not everything lasts forever. Things come to an end, and it's time for me to move on to the next chapter of my career. I'm forever thankful for what Jacksonville has brought to me and my family, but it's time to move on."

Ngakoue has referenced the contract negotiations that broke off early — thanks to Tom Coughlin — multiple times since expressing his desire to move on from Jacksonville. Even though Coughlin is no longer with the Jaguars, Ngakoue's feelings towards the front office and organization as a whole have not changed. He's ready to move on.  

On what type of team he'd be interested in playing for:

"I'm not really sure what team I would be landing at, but the type of team I would love to join is a team that has great culture. I really want to be a part of a team that has great culture, and winning is a habit. I don't want to be a part of a team where losing is a norm or anything like that. I want to be a part of something special. Also, I just want to go to a place where I can make a great impact on the community and just reach out to younger people that look up to me."

On What Yannick believes he'll bring to a team that trades for him:

"I bring a different presence in the locker room, not just on the field. You can reach out to anyone that's ever played with me in Jacksonville. The kind of intensity and aggressiveness I bring is different. In my opinion, I'm a top-five defensive end in this league, top three. My play hasn't been able to be seen like that playing in Jacksonville, not having too many prime time games. So if I end up landing on a team that's prime time, hopefully, I can show the world what I can do completely."

What makes Ngakoue a top three to five defensive end?

"Getting sacks is a thing that people always harp on, getting sacks. But it's not about always about getting sacks; it's about getting the ball out. For a player that's on the defensive side of the ball to be able to get the ball out, it basically makes them an offensive player. And I look at myself as an offensive guy. When any offense I've played with, when they're in detrimental situations, they look at me to get the ball back. And if I can get the ball back for them, it just gives them another opportunity to be able to win a game for us. That's another trait that I'll bring to a new team: getting the ball out. And who doesn't love a forced fumble?"

Stay tuned for the latest on the Yannick Ngakoue situations.

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