He could look good in Blue Jags’ DE wants out, so Giants should pounce

In January, pending free agent pass rusher Yannick Ngakoue was posting photos of Giants great Lawrence Taylor on his Instagram story.

And on Monday, when the Jaguars informed Ngakoue they would be franchise tagging him and limiting his options, the 24year-old specimen made something clear:

He wants out.

“The Jaguars are aware I no longer have interest in signing a long-term contract in Jacksonville,” Ngakoue tweeted Monday morning. “I’m thankful for the journey and look forward to continuing my career elsewhere.”

For the Giants, this should be seen as much more than just a smoke signal or a flare shot into the sky. It might as well be a direct message to Dave Gettleman: come get me.

Ngakoue isn’t just seeking a new team. He wants to play in a higher-profile market that reflects his talent. The Giants are in desperate need of pass rushers, and this isn’t a strong draft class on the edge, so they’re expected to add one via free agency or trade.

Now that the Jaguars are planning to tag Ngakoue, though, it will take a trade for the Giants to land the former University of Maryland standout. And Gettleman already is down a third-round pick because of his midseason trade for Leonard Williams.

Last year, two top defensive ends were tagged and then traded to sign contract extensions with their new teams. The Chiefs acquired Frank Clark from the Seahawks in exchange for a 2019 first-round pick, 2020 second-round pick and a swap of 2019 third-rounders. Then they gave Clark a five-year deal worth around $20 million per year.

The Niners acquired Dee Ford from the Chiefs for a 2020 second-round pick. Then they gave Ford a five-year deal worth $17 million a year.

The Giants have more than $70 million in cap space, so they’d have no problem paying Ngakoue once he was on their team. He is still young, and he would instantly improve their pass rush, with 37.5 sacks, 42 tackles for loss, 14 forced fumbles and two defensive touchdowns in four years.

But trading for him gets complicated because the Giants already lack their 2020 third-round pick and either next year’s fifth or fourth-rounder, depending on whether they resign Williams.

Surrendering this year’s second-rounder, for example, would devastate their assets in a deep draft where they could land several key contributors. Of course, they could offset that type of deal by trading back from their No. 4 overall selection to try and restock their draft board if they wished, too.

Regardless, the free agent market is starting to slowly move and shrink, and it will be expensive no matter what. The Niners are already in negotiations to resign havoc-wreaking defensive end Arik Armstead, per ESPN. There is a huge market for him if he gets to free agency.

Seahawks edge rusher Jadeveon Clowney, the one top free agent pass rusher who cannot be franchise tagged, is looking for $22 million per year on a new contract, according to one source. Gettleman seemingly was not aware at the NFL Combine of Seattle’s agreement with Clowney not to tag him, but even if the Giants pursue him, it will cost big-time.

There is no indication yet on how they will proceed with Williams. They have the option to franchise tag him, which could cost $12-19 million depending on whether they use the transition or non-exclusive franchise tag and whether he’s classified as a tackle or an end.

But I believe Joe Judge’s personnel say makes it more likely the Giants cut their losses and don’t just bring back Williams to save face on Gettleman’s trade. The deadline to tag a player is March 12 before 4 p.m.

ESPN also reported that Bengals offensive tackle Cordy Glenn and Panthers guard Trai Turner are being shopped. Gettleman drafted Turner, a fivetime Pro Bowler, as Carolina’s GM in the third round in 2014 out of LSU.

MORE COMBINE NUGGETS

• Dayton tight end Adam Trautman, a Senior Bowl standout, continued to impress scouts, coaches and executives at the NFL Combine in Indianapolis. Modern tight ends often aren’t showing evaluators the wellrounded skill set they’re looking for coming out of college, but the 6-5, 223-pound Trautman had people buzzing as a rising middle-rounder. The Giants have solid young TE Kaden Smith and Evan Engram, who must have his fifth-year option for 2021 picked up by May 5. But Rhett Ellison could be a cap or retirement casualty, so like most positions on their roster, it’s not like they’re completely set.

• Notre Dame wide receiver Chase Claypool was the talk of Indianapolis for weighing in at 6-4, 238 pounds, around eight pounds heavier than expected, and then running a blistering 4.42 40-yard dash. His heavy weigh-in led several NFL teams to admit they think Claypool could be a move tight end at the next level due to his size and willingness as a blocker. At first that sounded like a cut against Claypool’s profile, but once he ran the 40 to validate his speed at wideout, the tight end talk only served to vault Claypool up draft boards as not only talented but versatile, too.

• The Buffalo Bills at pick No. 22 are doing homework on top playmakers such as Alabama’s Jerry Jeudy and Oklahoma’s CeeDee Lamb, but this receiver class is deep enough that teams could land starters in the second and third rounds, too. So add UCF wide receiver Gabriel Davis to the Bills’ list of player meetings at the combine, a productive and high character prospect flying under the radar. The Steelers, who don’t own a first-round pick, also met with Davis, who ran a solid 4.54 40yard dash.

• Engram isn’t the only player with a fifth-year option the Giants could pick up. Safety/linebacker Jabrill Peppers, picked two spots after Engram in 2017 at No. 25 overall by Cleveland, is also eligible. Fifth-year options amounts haven’t been calculated yet, but overthecap roughly estimates a tight end coming in around $9 million and a safety coming in around $11 million. Peppers has played linebacker, too, and that would fetch around $14 million if he were classified as an LB. Engram is scheduled to count $3.4 million against this fall’s cap; Peppers is at $1.8 million.