Reports: Raiders signing pass-rusher Chandler Jones, trading away pass-rusher Yannick Ngakoue
The Las Vegas Raiders are shuffling big names in their pass rush.
The team landed All-Pro edge defender Chandler Jones on a four-year deal worth $17 million per year, per NFL Network's Tom Pelissero, then immediately pulled the trigger on a deal to send pass-rusher Yannick Ngakoue to the Indianapolis Colts, per NFL Network's Ian Rapoport.
The Raiders will reportedly receive cornerback Rock Ya-Sin in the Ngakoue trade.
Jones is coming off a walk year with the Arizona Cardinals in which he posted 41 tackles, 26 QB hits, 12 tackles for loss, 10.5 sacks and six forced fumbles, earning him a fourth career Pro Bowl nod. He ranks behind only Von Miller among active players in career sacks with 107.5.
He should provide a nice complement at the edge opposite emerging star Maxx Crosby, whom the Raiders recently signed to a four-year, $99 million extension, while receiving a quality cornerback on a rookie deal in the process.
Yannick Ngakoue heads to yet another team
At some point, you have to feel for Ngakoue, whose pass-rushing credentials are undeniable.
Since entering the NFL in 2016 as a third-round pick for the Jacksonville Jaguars, Ngakoue has never posted fewer than eight sacks in a season. He should be in the prime of his career at age 26, and yet he is now off to his fourth team in the span of three years.
Ngakoue pushed his way out of Jacksonville in the 2020 offseason amid the team's teardown of its defense, finding a landing spot on the Minnesota Vikings. One rough start to the season later, he was traded to the Baltimore Ravens for the remainder of the year, then hit free agency and signed a two-year, $26 million deal with the Raiders.
The second half of that deal will now be spent in Indianapolis, who already have some strong pass rushers in DeForest Buckner and Kwity Paye. Throwing in Ngakoue could make the defensive line even scarier.
