Yannick Ngakoue recently fired his agent, perhaps portending to a resolution with the Jacksonville Jaguars.
General manager Dave Caldwell said Tuesday during a video conference that he's spoken with the pass rusher recently but declined to get into specifics of the situation.
"You'd have to talk to him. I'm very cautious of speaking for him," Caldwell said. "He and I have been in contact the last couple days, but I think that is for him to discuss. He's played his contract out. He has the right to do what's best for him and his family. So, I'm going to defer any of his future questions to him, and try to keep our conversations between he and I."
The Jags used the franchise tag on Ngakoue. The edge rusher has yet to sign the tender or show up to camp. Until he signs the franchise tag, he's not under contract and therefore cannot be fined.
On several occasions, Ngakoue has attempted to force a trade from Jacksonville. The Jags have held firm on their request for a hefty return in any trade. Thus, the 25-year-old remains part of Jacksonville's plans.
Caldwell reiterated that he is unsure that the agent change would help get Ngakoue in the building sooner.
"I don't have a feel for that one way or the other," he said. "I think, like I said earlier ... I'm going to not speak for Yan, out of respect for him. He's earned the right; he played his contract out, he played four years. He's earned the right to do what's best for him and his family. Obviously, he's a guy that we know what he brings to the table. His coaches love him. His teammates love him. We love his energy. The fan base loves him. Ideally, we would love to have him here, but I'll let him speak on his behalf of what's going on, and I know he's making some calculated decisions."
Perhaps the recent discussion between Ngakoue and Caldwell helped clear a path for the talented young pass rusher to return. Perhaps Caldwell's positive words about Yannick are simply management speak, and nothing's changed.
We won't know anything until the next time Ngakoue decides to either take his fight public once again or reports to camp. At this point, the Jags appear content to wait out the situation, however it might play out.
