Giants turn to former $54 million pass rusher as a creative fix for a growing problem after season-ending blow on defense
Veteran edge defender Yannick Ngakoue hasn’t played in the NFL since 2024, and New York will work him out on Monday to see where he stands physically.
The New York Giants are considering a creative solution to a new problem on their roster. New York will work out veteran edge defender Yannick Ngakoue on Monday, and the move comes after the Giants lost Brian Burns to a season-ending knee injury a couple of weeks ago.
The 31-year-old pass rusher hasn’t played in the NFL since 2024. A former third-round pick in 2016, Ngakoue has bounced between several teams on short stints. Now, the Giants want to see if he still has something left to offer.
A productive pass rusher with no continuity
Throughout his NFL career, Ngakoue has signed many short contracts and spent little time with each team. He was always a very good pass rusher, especially early in his career, but he was limited as a run defender.
His best years came with the Jacksonville Jaguars. He posted a career-high 12 sacks in 2017, and he still had 10 sacks as recently as 2021 with the Las Vegas Raiders. Overall, Ngakoue has recorded 70.5 sacks in the NFL.
The pressure numbers tell a similar story. According to PFF, he generated 70 pressures in 2017 and 64 in 2018 for Jacksonville. Later, he had 62 pressures for the Raiders in 2021, 44 for the Indianapolis Colts in 2022, and 34 for the Chicago Bears in 2023. His role shrank in 2024, when he totaled 10 pressures between the Baltimore Ravens and New England Patriots.
His most recent stint came with the Patriots two years ago. He played six games in New England and didn’t register a sack.
That’s a lot of change for one player. Ngakoue has also played for the Minnesota Vikings, and he had two separate stints with Baltimore. The Jaguars didn’t want to re-sign him, so they traded him to Minnesota. Then the Vikings traded him to the Ravens. He later signed a two-year, $26 million contract with the Raiders in 2021, followed by a handful of short-term deals elsewhere.
In total, Ngakoue has made $54.3 million in his career, including several contracts he signed to fill a role-player spot.
Giants live uncomfortable reality at the position
The Giants’ situation at edge defender got messy after the Burns injury. Abdul Carter and Kayvon Thibodeaux are the starters right now, but the depth behind them is thin.
New York has Trace Ford, who entered the league as a college free agent in 2025 and is on the practice squad. The team also signed Jihad Ward off the Vikings’ practice squad after Burns got hurt.
Still, the Giants aren’t comfortable with their edge group. If an injury strikes during the week, New York has no obvious option to call up for game day.
That’s where Ngakoue could fit. If he signs to the practice squad, he would give the Giants a designated pass rusher with rotational potential, someone they could elevate when needed.
A low-risk addition, if he’s ready
Ngakoue isn’t going to solve the edge problem for New York on his own. Burns was a major piece of the defense, and no veteran free agent off the street replaces that type of production.
But adding Ngakoue to the room could give the Giants a useful piece in obvious passing situations. His history shows a player who can get after the quarterback, even if his run defense never matched that.
The big aspect is his physical condition. He has been away from the league for quite some time, and that’s exactly why the Giants will test him early this week before making any decision.
