Yannick Ngakoue trade vaults Minnesota Vikings into NFC North favored role

The 2020 NFL regular season opens in less than two weeks, and the Minnesota Vikings made a major trade Sunday when they acquired Pro Bowl defensive end Yannick Ngakoue from the Jacksonville Jaguars for the relatively low cost of a 2021 second-round pick and a conditional 2022 fifth-rounder. Minnesota is +2500 at William Hill sportsbook to win Super Bowl 55 and now the favorite in the NFC North.

The Vikings clearly had a need at end after losing their own former Pro Bowler in Everson Griffen in free agency. The team tried to re-sign him, but Griffen opted to ink with the Dallas Cowboys. SportsLine NFL oddsmakers didn't list the Vikings among the favorites to trade for Ngakoue – there was never any doubt the Jags were going to deal him; he threatened to sit out the season – because they didn't have the salary cap space to take on Ngakoue's $17.8 million salary after he was franchise tagged by Jacksonville.

In an almost unprecedented move, Ngakoue is going to take a pay cut to $12 million for this season to make the trade work. Plus, he's leaving Florida, which has no state income tax, for Minnesota, which does. That just proves how badly the 25-year-old wanted out of Jacksonville. Because he did not sign the franchise tag by July 15, Ngakoue cannot work out a long-term deal with the Vikings until next offseason. So in theory, the Vikings could lose him after this year. Or they could tag him. 

Since the start of 2016, Ngakoue, is one of five NFL players with at least 35 sacks and 10 forced fumbles. The others are Chandler Jones, Aaron Donald, Khalil Mack and Frank Clark. Donald has won two Defensive Player of the Year Awards in that span and Mack one. Ngakoue is +4000 on the William Hill moneyline odds to win it this season. He and Danielle Hunter now may form the best pair of defensive ends on any team in the NFL. Hunter had 14.5 sacks last year and is +2500 to win Defensive Player of the Year.

Minnesota has overtaken Green Bay as the betting favorite to win the NFC North, with the Vikings at +160 and the Packers +170. The SportsLine Projection Model (see below) has the Vikings as division favorites as well, bumping the team's forecasted win total from 9.1 to 9.3 and its division chances from 44.8 percent to 47.5 percent.