New Orleans Saints Sign Edge Rusher Chase Young

The New Orleans Saints are taking a flier on a supremely talented defensive lineman. According to Bleacher Report's Jordan Schultz, the Saints are expected to sign former Defensive Rookie of the Year Chase Young to a one-year, $13 million contract.

Chase Young’s new deal with the #Saints is a 1-year, fully guaranteed $13M contract, sources tell @BleacherReport. https://t.co/cbvHsWMtv8
— Jordan Schultz (@Schultz_Report) March 18, 2024

Young entered the league as one of the most coveted edge rushing prospects of all time thanks to a dominant 34-game run at Ohio State that included 30.5 sacks and 40.5 tackles for loss. After being selected second overall in the 2020 NFL Draft by the Washington Commanders, he nabbed 2020 Defensive Rookie of the Year honors, amassing 7.5 sacks and earning a sterling 87.2 overall grade from Pro Football Focus.

Unfortunately, Young never truly built on that promising first year. An ACL tear cost him all but 12 appearances from 2021 to 2022, and he was eventually traded mid-season to the San Francisco 49ers in 2023, where he notched an underwhelming 2.5 sacks over 328 snaps.

Between his nine appearances for the 49ers and seven games with the Commanders, Young played 735 total snaps while earning a respectable 74.4 overall grade from PFF in 2023. That level of production still typically comes at a steep price in the NFL, so the Saints are doing well to land him for one year, $13 million, even if it is fully guaranteed.

It's difficult to imagine Young ever becoming the explosive, all-world pass rusher that was promised when he was drafted, but he's been effective when healthy and could still have his best years ahead of him. If he can put together a career year with the Saints in his age-25 season, he could still land a massive deal next offseason. Otherwise, he may have to follow in the footsteps of fellow uber pass-rushing prospect Jadeveon Clowney and eke out a career bouncing from team to team.