What separates Everson Griffen and the new Minnesota Vikings defensive end?
In a Sunday morning stunner, the Minnesota Vikings acquired pass-rusher Yannick Ngakoue in a trade with the Jacksonville Jaguars. The Vikings dealt a 2021 second-round pick and conditional 2022 fifth-round pick to the Jaguars for the services of Ngakoue.
The transaction was surprising to the utmost as it was theorized that Minnesota defensive end Ifeadi Odenigbo seemingly had the starting position opposite Danielle Hunter all but wrapped up. But that theory was bogus or at the very least, prematurely hypothesized.
Now, the Vikings go from a probably-formidable pair of defensive ends in Hunter and Odenigbo to undoubtedly one of the most spine-chilling tandems in all of the NFL with Hunter and Ngakoue.
Everson Griffen‘s penned goodbye letter, a strange period of free-agency limbo this year, and his eventual agreement with the Dallas Cowboys brought a sense of universal sorrow to the team’s fan base. Ngakoue, with the stroke of a tweet, lessens the melancholy.
The 25-year-old will play under a one-year contract at a value of $12 million. The trade effectively drained the remainder of Minnesota’s salary cap space to nil, but that is not too uncommon as a new NFL season approaches. Imminent deals for stars like halfback Dalvin Cook and safety Anthony Harris are now thrust into uncertainty.
So, what are the main differences between the departed Griffen and the freshly-arrived Ngakoue? Let’s analyze.