Las Vegas Raiders: 10 free agents that could help the pass rush

DE Yannick Ngakoue

Yannick Ngakoue has had a whirlwind 2020 season after he made it explicitly clear on social media that he would not be spending the year with the Jacksonville Jaguars. The Jaguars were reportedly shopping him all offseason, and the Las Vegas Raiders were one of the teams who showed interest, but they ended up shipping him up north to the Minnesota Vikings for a 2021 second-round pick and a conditional fifth-round pick.

His time in Minnesota was short-lived, and after just six games, the Vikings traded him to the Baltimore Ravens for a 2021 third-round pick and a 2022 conditional fifth-round pick. Ngakoue was productive with both teams, recording five sacks and five tackles for loss with Minnesota, and three sacks and two tackles for loss with Baltimore.

The former Jaguar was used less by the Ravens, as his snap counts hovered between 30-70%, whereas in Minnesota he was a full-time starter with a snap count percentage around 80% for most games. This reduced usage gives the Ravens a choice to make as they may have to choose between him and the aforementioned Judon.

It would be surprising to see the Ravens move on from a player they just gave up a third-round pick for but it would not be the first time that has happened if they don’t feel he deserves the big contract he is looking for. Ngakoue has been very productive over his career, recording 37.5 sacks for Jacksonville in 63 games, and is still just 25 years old.

If the Raiders want to bring him in, they won’t have to give up any draft capital like they would have in the 2020 offseason, but he will not come cheap. He has made it clear that he wants a big-money deal on a contender, and the Raiders may not be in a position to do that, but he would represent quite the coup if they could make a deal happen.