How Could a Potential Tag Placed on Yannick Ngakoue Impact the Jaguars Financially?

What could a Yannick Ngakoue franchise or transition tag look like from a cap perspective?

With the NFL's 2020 free agency cycle set to begin in less than a month, countless eyes throughout the league are locked in on following what happens with Jacksonville Jaguars defensive end Yannick Ngakoue. Will the young and productive pass-rusher hit the open market, or will he stay in Jacksonville?

Ngakoue has been seeking a long-term contract since last summer and even entered into contract negotiations with the Jaguars before talks broke down, leading to Ngakoue holding out of parts of the 2019 training camp.

Now, the 24-year old defensive end who is second on the team's all-time sack list with 37.5 is a few weeks away from making a momentous decision, or even having that decision made for him. Jaguars general manager Dave Caldwell said after the season that bringing Ngakoue back would be the team's No. 1 priority, while owner Shad Khan has said he is "hopeful" Ngakoue will return in 2020. 

But if Ngakoue and the Jaguars don't agree to a long-term deal before free agency begins on Mar. 18, what options do the Jaguars have to keep one of their best players and one of the franchise's best draft selections ever?

Well, if the Jaguars want to keep Ngakoue but can't reach an agreement to a long-term deal by Mar. 18, their only option would be to place the franchise or transition tag on him. The franchise tag would guarantee Ngakoue's contract for one more season, while the transition tag would t guarantees the Jaguars the right of first refusal to match any offer Ngakoue may make with another team.

If the Jaguars can't reach a long-term deal with Ngakoue before free agency begins, they could place the franchise or transition tag on Ngakoue from Feb. 25 - Mar. 10, before he is even able to hit the market. Jacksonville would then have until June 15 to make a long-term deal happen, or else Ngakoue would have to play on the one-year tender.

So, what would a tag on Ngakoue look like from a cap standpoint? In 2019, the franchise tag for defensive ends was a guaranteed $17.128 million , while the transition tag amounted to $14.36 million. These figures will rise in 2020, though the exact numbers are not yet released by the NFL.

According to OverTheCap.com, the franchise and transition tag values can be calculated by "adding the respective tag numbers, divided by the sum of the salary caps, from the previous five seasons, and finally multiplied by the current season's salary cap. Franchise tag figures are based upon the top five salaries at each respective position, while transition tag figures are based on the top ten."

To give an idea of what a franchise or transition tag on a defensive end could look like in 2020, OverTheCap lists projected figures for each tag. According to OverTheCap, the franchise tag for a defensive end could amount to $19.316 million next season, while a transition tag would cost $16.338 million, each a few more million dollars than last year's tags. 

For a team like the Jaguars, who are currently projected to have negative cap space in 2020 until they make a few necessary cuts, this amount of money paid in a tag in one season would require some financial wiggle room and take up a large chunk of the Jaguars' cap.

We did an exercise earlier this week in which we examined how the Jaguars could free up nearly $40 million in cap space. Using Spotrac's roster management tool, we have done these cuts and then included Ngakoue's money from either the franchise or transition tag, giving an idea of how much cap the Jaguars would be able to work with if they tag Ngakoue.

Franchise tag

• Cut DT Marcell Dareus: Saves $20 million
• Cut CB A.J. Bouye: Saves $11.437 million
• Cut WR Marqise Lee: Saves $5.25 million.
• Cut LB Jake Ryan: Saves $5.5 million.
• Cut TE Geoff Swaim: Saves $3.737 million.
• Franchise tag Ngakoue: Costs $19.316 million

These moves would leave the Jaguars with $20,914,754 in cap space to sign draft picks as well as other potential free agents. 

Transition tag

• Cut DT Marcell Dareus: Saves $20 million
• Cut CB A.J. Bouye: Saves $11.437 million
• Cut WR Marqise Lee: Saves $5.25 million.
• Cut LB Jake Ryan: Saves $5.5 million.
• Cut TE Geoff Swaim: Saves $3.737 million.
• Transition tag Ngakoue: Costs $16.338 million

These moves would leave the Jaguars with $23,892,754 in cap space to sign draft picks as well as other potential free agents. 

The Jaguars would likely save significantly more money in 2020 by signing Ngakoue to a long-term deal in which they could backload it and give themselves more flexibility early on. 

But if the team can't strike a deal with Ngakoue at some point in the next few weeks, they could place a tag on him and secure him for 2020 at least. This wouldn't leave them much room for other moves, but they can at least make that one happen.