JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Yannick Ngakoue is still a training camp holdout, but could a change in agents help thaw the icy relationship between he and the Jaguars?
According to a report from NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero on Monday, Ngakoue parted ways with his agent, Ari Nissim. Nissim has represented Ngakoue for more than two years, which encompasses the window of time that he’s been seeking a new contract or a trade from the Jaguars.
Jaguars general manager Dave Caldwell said on Tuesday that he’s spoken to Ngakoue, a fifth-year defensive end, recently but preferred to keep those conversations private.
Will the change in agents spur either the Jaguars or Ngakoue into action on a trade or a contract? According to NFL Players Association rules, there is a five-day waiting period to officially sever a player-agent relationship. Once that period ends, a player is free to sign with new representation.
“As far as the Yannick situation goes, I think you’d have to talk to him. I’m very cautious of speaking for him,” Caldwell said. “He and I have been in contact the last couple of days, but I think that is for him to discuss. He’s earned the right. He played his contract out, he’s earned the right to do what’s best for him and his family. I’m going to defer his future questions to him and try to keep our conversations to he and I.”
Ngakoue was designated as the Jaguars’ franchise player, but he remains the only franchised player in the league to have not signed his tender. He lost the opportunity to sign a long-term contract with Jacksonville once the franchise deadline expired on July 15. At best, Ngakoue can sign the one-year franchise tender with the Jaguars, which would pay him in the neighborhood of $18 million this season.
Ngakoue has been outspoken throughout the offseason about his desire to leave Jacksonville, taking shots at the organization on social media and during an appearance on ESPN’s NFL Live last April.
Could the change in agents be the icebreaker for some movement in the stalemate? If so, Caldwell wasn’t divulging anything.
“I don’t have a feel for that one way or the other. … I’m going to not speak for Yan out of respect for him. He’s earned the right, he played his contract out, he played four years. And he’s earned the right to do what’s best for him and his family,” he said.
“Obviously, he’s a guy we know what he brings to the table. His coaches love him, his teammates love him. We love his energy, the fanbase loves him. Ideally, we would love to have him here, but I’ll let him speak on his behalf of what’s going on I know he’s making some calculated decisions.”