Chase Young has been striving to revert to the dominant player that was drafted by Washington with the second overall pick and dominated the NFL in his first professional season, winning Defensive Rookie of the Year.
He will now have the opportunity to establish himself on a one-year contract with the New Orleans Saints.
Coming out of Ohio State as the consensus must-see prospect behind QB Joe Burrow, Young succeeded in his debut pro season, ending with 44 tackles, 7.5 sacks, four forced fumbles, three fumble recoveries, and four pass deflections.
He lived up to the hype, and Washington Commanders supporters were overjoyed to have a great pass rusher join their fearsome defensive line, which was already loaded with first-round talent.
However, Chase Young’s second season was not as successful, as he tore his ACL. His rehabilitation was sluggish. He recorded 1.5 sacks in his second and third seasons combined. The Commanders declined his fifth-year option and traded him to the 49ers last season.
The 49ers have a talented defensive line, and while it took Young some time to find his spot, he was promoted to the starting lineup at the start of the postseason. Young looked explosive in the Super Bowl, which was perfect timing as he prepared to enter free agency. He caused relentless mayhem for Patrick Mahomes, even recording a sack in a key situation.
Given Young’s age, draft pedigree, rookie season, and performance in his final game, there was bound to be a market for him. Just not the one you might have expected when he was a rookie star in Washington.
Chase Young’s deal with the New Orleans Saints seemed great, but there are some key caveats.
When the deal was first reported as a fully guaranteed contract worth $13 million, it looked that the Saints brass were betting heavily on Young to regain his real form.
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NFL contracts are not always what they appear to be when reported. This is exactly the situation with Chase Young’s new contract with the New Orleans Saints.
His contract includes a huge asterisk.
While earlier reports indicated that the Saints were offering Young a fully guaranteed $13 million contract, there are provisions in place to safeguard the club from the former Ohio State star’s injury history since joining the NFL.
According to CBS Sports’ Jonathan Jones, over $8 million of the aforementioned total is dependent on $470,000 per-game bonuses. While the bonuses are guaranteed, Young must remain on the roster to receive them, which means he would forfeit them if he was removed.
His injury history puts him at risk. In fact, he is already scheduled to have surgery on his ailing neck, and while he is projected to return to action before the start of the 2024 season, even that should cause anxiety for New Orleans Saints fans, as injuries have delayed his promising career thus far.
Chase Young made only 12 appearances in the two years following his rookie season. He played more often in 2023, making seven appearances for the Washington Commanders before being dealt to the 49ers in October. He appeared in nine regular-season games for San Francisco, as well as three postseason games.
He is now on his third NFL team since Halloween, and he hopes to rebound from his most recent operation with a season that lives up to the expectations placed on him when he entered the league as the second overall choice.
In the meanwhile, the Saints are taking precautions. They are committing to one year of incentive-based bonuses that will allow them to evaluate him in the future.
If Chase Young regains his rookie form with the New Orleans Saints, he will be regarded a bargain. However, at this moment, nothing is guaranteed.
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