LB Yannick Ngakoue joining Raiders on two-year, $26M deal

Mitch Stringer-USA TODAY Sports

Pass-rusher Yannick Ngakoue joining Raiders on two-year, $26M deal

By Zac Wassink | Last updated Mar 15, 2021 7:10 PM ET

Pass-rusher Yannick Ngakoue will have a new NFL home for the third time in under six months.

ESPN's Adam Schefter reports that the one-time Pro Bowler who turns 26 years old at the end of March has agreed to a two-year deal worth $26 million with the Las Vegas Raiders. It's yet another relocation for Ngakoue, who was traded from the Jacksonville Jaguars to the Minnesota Vikings in August and then shipped from Minnesota to the Baltimore Ravens in October.

Pro Football Focus previously predicted Ngakoue would sign a four-year contract worth $70 million with $40 million total guaranteed and $30 million fully guaranteed at signing.

Two year, $26 million deal and the #Raiders, who finished 29th last season with 21 sacks, get @YannickNgakoue, who has is one of just 4 players since 1982 (when sacks became an official stat) to begin his career with five straight eight-plus sack seasons, totaling 45.5...(more)
— Paul Gutierrez (@PGutierrezESPN) March 15, 2021

...@YannickNgakoue also has 18 forced fumbles, which rank second in the NFL behind Khalil Mack (20) over that same period.
— Paul Gutierrez (@PGutierrezESPN) March 15, 2021

Across his stints with two organizations last season, Ngakoue recorded eight quarterback sacks for the second consecutive campaign. As Nick Shook noted for the NFL's official website, this move reunites Ngakoue with former Jacksonville head coach Gus Bradley, who the Raiders hired for their defensive coordinator position in January.

Ngakoue made what remains his only Pro Bowl appearance, to date, in 2017 when he tallied a career-best 12 sacks. He'll now be playing on what he may feel is a "prove it" contract ahead of potentially earning millions more after the 2022 season.

Zac Wassink

Zac Wassink is a longtime sports news writer and PFWA member who began his career in 2006 and has had his work featured on Yardbarker, MSN, Yahoo Sports and Bleacher Report. He is also a football and futbol aficionado who is probably yelling about Tottenham Hotspur at the moment and who chanted for Matt Harvey to start the ninth inning of Game 5 of the 2015 World Series at Citi Field. You can find him on X at @ZacWassink

More must-reads: