Vegas adds Ngakoue, loses Agholor
The Raiders took a big swing in free agency Monday at a position of need, agreeing to terms with defensive end Yannick Ngakoue.
Around the same time, wide receiver Nelson Agholor, one of the Raiders’ top available free agents, reportedly agreed to join the New England Patriots.
Ngakoue, regarded as one of the top pass rushers available, had eight sacks last season for the Baltimore Ravens and Minnesota Vikings. The agreement was first reported by NFL Media and confirmed by the Bay Area News Group.
A veteran of 78 games and 70 starts since 2016, Ngakoue played four seasons for the Jacksonville Jaguars before being traded to Minnesota last season. A thirdround pick out of Maryland in 2016, Ngakoue doesn’t turn 26 until next month.
Ngakoue and Agholor, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, both received deals of two years and $26 million. The negotiating period began Monday morning
and players can’t sign contracts with new teams until Wednesday at 1 p.m. (PDT).
Considering the number of wide receivers on the market, as well as the lack of pass rushers, Jon Gruden and general manager Mike Mayock rightly prioritized rushing the passer over keeping one of Derek Carr’s favorite targets in the passing game.
Ngakoue’s rookie season with Jacksonville was also the final season new Raiders defensive coordinator Gus Bradley was the Jaguars’ head coach.
Ngakoue’s path to the Raiders began last March 2, when he took to Twitter to announce he no longer wanted to play for Jacksonville and got into a social media exchange with executive Tony Khan, asking for a trade after the Jaguars gave him the franchise tag. He wanted out badly enough that he agreed to take $12 million from Minnesota rather than the $17.8 franchise tag figure in order to be traded for a second-round pick and a conditional fifth-round pick. The Vikings, realizing Ngakoue would test free agency after the season, dealt him to Baltimore for a second-round pick and a conditional sixth-round pick.
The Raiders finished 29th in the NFL in sacks last season with 21, with defensive end Maxx Crosby leading the way with seven. The defense has been poor rushing the passer ever since trading Khalil Mack to the Chicago Bears before the 2018 season following a protracted contract holdout.
Pass rushers went off the board quickly in the first several hours of free agency, as Shaq Barrett (Tampa Bay), Romeo Okwara (Detroit) and Markus Golden (Arizona) all agreed to return to their 2020 teams. Matthew Judon, a former teammate of Ngakoue’s in Baltimore, came to terms with New England for a deal reportedly worth a maximum of $56 million over four seasons.
Ngakoue, at 6-foot-2, 247, is suited to play the “Leo” position in Bradley’s defense, lining up with his hand on the ground on the side opposite the tight end with a primary role of rushing the passer. Crosby will get plenty of snaps, while Clelin Ferrell, a first-round draft pick in 2019, can play as the strong side end or inside as a tackle on pass rush downs.
The Raiders will still look to find an interior lineman to push the pocket from the middle either through free agency or the NFL draft.
Ngakoue’s presence could alter the Raiders’ plans for the draft considering how free agency plays out. With Mayock noting many of the top pass rushers in college football could be Day 2 or 3 picks, the Raiders could zero in on a tackle or guard with the No. 17 overall pick of the draft.
In five seasons, Ngakoue has just one season with double-digit sacks with 12 in 2017 for Jacksonville but in no season has he had less than eight.
Agholor had 48 receptions for 896 yards and eight touchdowns, averaging 18.7 yards per catch, and was the Raiders most pleasant surprise in free agency a year ago. Agholor played for a veteran’s minimum salary of $910,000 plus a modest bonus that brought his deal to just over $1 million.
Ideally, Agholor’s role as a deep threat will be assumed by second-year wide receiver Henry Ruggs III. Ruggs was the No. 12 overall pick in the 2020 draft, showing the speed which made him one of the top deep threats in college football but finishing with a disappointing 26 catches for 452 yards and two touchdowns. COOKER TO GIANTS >> Running back Devontae Booker, who gained 423 yards on a veteran’s minimum contract with the Raiders, agreed to a twoyear deal worth up to $6 million according to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler.