Potential Panthers free-agent target unsure why he’s still a free agent
Why is Yannick Ngakoue still a free agent? Well, don’t ask Yannick Ngakoue.
The former Pro Bowl pass rusher joined Monday’s episode of The Jim Rome Show, where host Jim Rome (in case that wasn’t clear) asked him about his puzzling unemployment status. And Ngakoue, like Rome, seems shocked.
“I’m not sure, man,” he said. “That’s a question for, you know, not me. It’s a question for . . . I guess whoever makes those decisions. Right now, the only thing that I can control is staying in shape, being in the best shape I’ve been in my whole career, and being able to be a force when I touch the field again.”
Ngakoue has been one of the more consistent producers off the edge since stepping foot into the league. The 6-foot-2, 246-pounder has recorded at least 8.0 sacks in each of his seven pro campaigns.
So, since he’s still out there, what’s an ideal landing spot for him?
“Any team in the NFL is an ideal landing spot for me,” Ngakoue replied to Rome. “It’s a blessing to be able to work any job in the NFL. Being able to go and practice with a team, to be able to go through a walkthrough, to be able to go through film study—it’s a blessing. It doesn’t matter what organization. For me, in particular, it’s just me being able to just play again with a team is a great opportunity for me. So I have my sights set on nothing but whoever calls me and is ready to bring me in.”
That team could be the Carolina Panthers—who not only have a pressing need at the position, but also have some ties to the 28-year-old. Ngakoue played nine games under head coach Frank Reich in Indianapolis last season and four years under defensive line coach Todd Wash, who was his coordinator in Jacksonville from 2016 to 2019.
But the question is—do the Panthers have their sights set on Ngakoue?
