MM 8.31: Maryland football alum Yannick Ngakoue traded to Minnesota Vikings

Former Maryland football edge rusher Yannick Ngakoue has left the Jacksonville Jaguars for good.

Ngakoue was traded to the Minnesota Vikings Sunday following an offseason saga that included him tweeting “Just trade me . I don’t need the speech.” The Vikings sent a second round pick and a conditional fifth-round pick to the Jaguars in return for the former Terp, who now begins a new chapter.

“It’s evident that my time in Jacksonville is up,” Ngakoue posted on Twitter after the trade. “But I want to say thank you to the organization for making it a home for myself for 4 years, and that I’ll never forget . That chapter is over with now. Nothing lasts forever. But I’m truly excited to start this new chapter! SKOL!”

During this offseason, Ngakoue became growingly vocal about his desires to be traded, as it became clear the Jaguars would not be able to give him a long-term deal and opted to use the franchise tag.

Ahead of the NFL Draft in April, Ngakoue got into a back-and-forth with Jacksonville owner Tony Khan on Twitter where the two publicly hashed out his desire to be traded, but the team’s firm stance on needing proper compensation.

The Washington, D.C. native was drafted in the third round, No. 69 overall, by the Jaguars in 2016 and has proven to be a top-talent at defensive end. In four seasons, Ngakoue has played in 63 games (with 62 starts) and tallied 122 tackles, 37.5 sacks, six forced fumbles, and three fumble recoveries. In the passing game, he’s also added nine pass deflections and two interceptions, including one taken for a touchdown in 2019.

It was later reported after the trade that Ngakoue agreed to a new one-year deal with the Vikings for around $13 million — significantly less than the $17.788 million he would have been due under the franchise tag.

In other news

Maryland women’s basketball had multiple alumni face off Sunday as the Connecticut Sun took on the Washington Mystics. Alyssa Thomas finished with 16 points and 11 rebounds, while Kaila Charles reach a new career-high 16 points off the bench.

Multiple Maryland student athletes took the chance to reflect on Martin Luther King’s “I Have a Dream” speech on its 52nd anniversary.

Maryland football athletes also took this weekend to use the school’s proximity to Washington, D.C. to join in the March on Washington.

DJ Moore is preparing to further prove himself in his third NFL season with the Carolina Panthers.

Maryland men’s basketball assistant coach Bino Ranson celebrated a birthday on Sunday.

Maryland men’s soccer flashed back to Malcolm Johnson Jr’s game-winning header to start the 2019 season.

Maryland women’s lacrosse welcomed some of its Class of 2024 freshmen to campus.