Seahawks should pay Yannick Ngakoue Frank Clark’s money

So, where does this leave Ngakoue and the Seahawks you may ask?

Seattle has a relatively low amount of cap space this year ($13 million total, $3 true cap) but is flush over the next couple of years. In fact, Seattle is currently slated to be inside the top 10 in cap space in both 2021 and 2022. They could offer a major contract (like they offered Clowney) and backload the deal.

The Seahawks have a good haul of draft picks this year, including 4 selections in the first 3 rounds. They also have all their picks in the 2021 draft. So draft capital is not an issue. This is especially true with reports the Seahawks are more than happy trading back into the second round, which will help them recoup any pick they decide to trade away. While trading picks for a player stings, it also helps ensure there is a day one presence to solve an immediate problem.

Ngakoue is an absolute stud on the defensive line. He has posted at least 8 sacks each of the last 4 years, including 12 in 2017. During that time, he had the 4th most quarterback hits in the NFL (55). He can win at the edge with both power and speed. His hand placement is near perfect and he possesses enough bend to turn the corner effectively.

Any team trading for Ngakoue would need to be able to bring out the player he was in 2017. This was the year he posted a 90.2 pass-rush grade and 60 run defense grade, per PFF. He compiled 12 sacks, 6 forced fumbles, 10 tackles for a loss and a pressure rate of 13.6%. Fortunately, he is just 2 years removed from this and remained productive in 2018 and 2019 with 9.5 and 8 sacks respectively.

Ngakoue is only 24 years old and should just now be entering his prime, he has had no injuries thus far in the NFL. Seattle appeared more than willing to pay Clowney top 5 edge rusher money. If Ngakoue is available and willing to take an offer in the realm of $18-20 million, they may be more inclined to make this happen.

After all, it’s a different time in the franchise than it was just a year ago with Frank Clark. Ngakoue himself stated that his demanding a trade had nothing to do with the money offered ( $19 million per year) but because of how his situation was handled, or lack thereof.

If you want to read about what I believe a trade and extension for Ngakoue would look like click my article here. The article also goes over where it would leave Seattle in terms of cap space and what moves would need to be had to fit his contract.