Maybe Yannick Ngakoue isn’t close to being on the move, after all.
“I’m not saying it couldn’t happen, but as of now, no trade is imminent or close,” NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported on Thursday.
“And several of the teams that are reported to be involved, including the Jets, are not actually involved. There could be a market, I know the Jaguars have had certainly some interest in trading Yannick Ngakoue, it’s something they would absolutely consider for the right price. You look at this guy, he’s young, he’s a pass rusher, premier position, he makes a lot of money, which makes it hard for a lot of teams to take on in a pandemic but the price is going to be high. You’re looking at probably a second-round pick or better.”
It’s noteworthy that Rapoport said that some of the teams linked to Ngakoue aren’t actually involved in trade conversations with the Jaguars. So it’s possible that the Raiders aren’t even in the mix for Ngakoue.
The initial report that a Ngakoue deal was close came from league commenter Michael Lombardi, who, coincidentally, is the same person who said in the offseason that Derek Carr had no future in Las Vegas.
Time will tell if Lombardi whiffed on this one, too.
twitter: @raidersbeat
With an as yet to be determined NCAA football season on the horizon, it would be prudent to acquire a proven talent to solidify the Las Vegas Raiders’ future talent, on the defensive line. While certainly no one knows what tomorrow may bring, I think it would be wise to lock up a as close to sure thing as possible. So, let’s see how things pan out. One thing is for certain though, ther never has been or ever will be a shortage of excuses.