JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Jaguars defensive end Yannick Ngakoue reported to the team’s facility on Sunday, ending his 11-day holdout without a new contract.
Ngakoue faced a Tuesday deadline to ensure that he would be able to accrue his fourth season and be eligible to become an unrestricted free agent after this season if he did not sign a new contract or the team used the franchise tag on him.
He faces a fine of $528,650, which also includes $88,650 for skipping the team’s mandatory three-day minicamp in June.
Ngakoue is due to make $2.02 million this season and held out because he wants a deal similar to the mega-contracts that pass rushers DeMarcus Lawrence of the Cowboys and Frank Clark of the City Chiefs signed in the offseason.
Both players’ deals are worth more than $100 million and Lawrence’s annual salary of $21 million and Clark’s annual salary of $20.8 million rank third and fourth, respectively, among defensive players in 2019.
In addition, Lawrence received $65 million guaranteed and Clark received $62.3 million.
Ngakoue has recorded 29.5 sacks and 10 forced fumbles since he entered the league as a third-round pick in 2016. He has more sacks over the past three seasons than Lawrence (26), new Niner Dee Ford (25) and new Lion Trey Flowers (21), who also got new contracts that guaranteed them $45 million and $56 million respectively.
Ngakoue is reportedly seeking a deal that pays him more than $20 million annually.
Ngakoue is in the final year of his rookie contract and had to report by Aug. 6 in order to accrue his fourth season toward unrestricted free agency. If he reported after Aug. 6 and did not get a new contract, he would be a restricted free agent after the 2019 season. The Jaguars could then put a first-round tender offer on him ($4.667 million, per the collective bargaining agreement) and would have right of first-refusal if another team were to offer Ngakoue a big contract.
If the Jaguars chose not to match the offer, they would receive a first-round pick from the team that signed Ngakoue.
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