Yannick Ngakoue is reportedly prepared to play on the franchise tag with another team as he continues to seek a trade away from the Jacksonville Jaguars.
ESPN's Adam Shefter reports that the defensive end remains keen to play elsewhere and has been in talks with multiple teams after being tagged against his wishes back in March.
The deadline for teams to sign franchise-tagged players to long-term contract extensions is Wednesday at 4pm ET, with Ngakoue yet to sign his $17.8m tender for 2020.
"Jaguars' franchise DE Yannick Ngakoue has engaged in contract discussions with multiple teams, but the pandemic has made any long-term deal challenging," said Schefter on Twitter.
"Teams have said Ngakoue has been flexible about playing on tag elsewhere or signing a long-term deal, and a new contract for him would not hold up a trade.
"The holdup so far has been Jacksonville's unwillingness to agree to a trade for a player who has vowed to move on from the Jaguars."
Ngakoue has publicly expressed his desire to move on from the team this offseason, engaging in a Twitter dispute with Jags co-owner Tony Khan, who underlined the need for better compensation were the 25-year-old to be traded.
Speaking in April, Jags general manager David Caldwell told ESPN's Mike DiRocco: "I think his options are very limited at this point in time. We'll welcome him back with open arms when he's ready to come back, and we look forward to it."
Ngakoue has 37.5 sacks and 14 forced fumbles in four seasons since being selected in the third round of the 2016 Draft.
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