Ex-Jaguars DE Yannick Ngakoue on Facing Former Team: 'This Week Feels a Little Different

It has been years since Yannick Ngakoue was a Jacksonville Jaguar, but the former Pro Bowl defensive end is still looking forward to facing his old team.

The Jacksonville Jaguars that Yannick Ngakoue left in the 2020 offseason are nothing like the Jaguars that Ngakoue is set to tee off against this Sunday, but that hasn't changed his motivation.

Two years and four teams since he was traded by the Jaguars and former head coach Doug Marrone and general manager Dave Caldwell, Ngakoue is set to return to Jacksonville for the first time as an opponent in Week 2 as the Jaguars face off against the Indianapolis Colts. It is a matchup Ngakoue has likely had circled for a while, too, considering his post on Twitter.

This week feels a little different .. Sunday can’t come soon enough ! #ForTheShoe 💙

— Yannick Ngakoue (@YannickNgakoue) September 13, 2022

Other than the fact Ngakoue forced a trade out of Jacksonville to Minnesota in 2020 following through year-long disputes with management and ownership, there is no real teeth to a Ngakoue revenge storyline. That won't stop any narratives or even self-motivation on Ngakoue's end, but the Jaguars he will face Sunday are much different than the team he divorced from.

For one, the Jaguars have a new head coach and general manager than during Ngakoue's tenure. Ngakoue's beef was with Tom Coughlin, ownership, and, to a lesser extent, former general manager Dave Caldwell. Coughlin and Caldwell are long gone, and so is Marrone.

There are also just seven Jaguars left on the roster who played with Ngakoue in 2019: Cam Robinson, Jawaan Taylor, Tyler Shatley, Andrew Wingard, Tre Herndon, and Logan Cooke. The rest of the roster has never played with Ngakoue, at least not during his tenure with the Jaguars.

And while this is Ngakoue's first trip to Jacksonville since he was traded, this isn't his first time playing the Jaguars. He recorded two sacks against the Jaguars as a member of the Baltimore Ravens in 2020, a game that felt much more like a revenge game than Sunday does.

Ngakoue was in a bitter back-and-forth with the Jaguars for the entirety of the 2020 offseason. After most presumed Ngakoue, a former third-round pick who had become a fan-favorite and a favorite of the coaching staff, would play in Jacksonville for the bulk of his career, Ngakoue and the Jaguars had a falling out due to failed contract negotiations in 2019.

Ngakoue didn't hide his disdain for the Jaguars, though he has made a point to thank the franchise for giving him his NFL start. He went on a social media tour de force to attempt to push his way out of Jacksonville, resulting in a number of Twitter blow-ups -- including one at co-owner Tony Khan.

The Jaguars eventually ended the ordeal by trading Ngakoue to Minnesota for a 2021 second-round pick and a future conditional pick. After four seasons and 37.5 sacks, the second-most in team history, he was gone.