For the second time in the last five months, Chase Young is packing his bags for a new NFL destination.
The former No. 2 overall pick of the 2020 draft is expected to sign a one-year, $13 million deal with the New Orleans Saints, NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported on Monday. The entire $13 million is guaranteed, per Rapoport. The team later announced the signing.
Young spent the back half of the 2023 season with the San Francisco 49ers, who acquired him via trade with the Washington Commanders at the deadline in a deal that amounted to a rental for the NFC heavyweight. The return on the deal wasn't great, but was good enough to help the 49ers win the conference title and reach Super Bowl LVIII, where they fell in overtime to the Kansas City Chiefs.
Young registered 18 tackles and 3.5 sacks with the 49ers, including one sack of Patrick Mahomes in the aforementioned Super Bowl. He finished in a tie for 18th in total QB pressures in 2023, ending the season with the same total as former Jets pass-rushing specialist Bryce Huff, who landed a three-year, $51.5 million deal with the Philadelphia Eagles last week.
Young, meanwhile, will again be asked to prove himself, taking the instant cash provided by the one-year deal to join forces with the likes of eight-time Pro Bowler Cameron Jordan in New Orleans, where coach Dennis Allen is aiming to direct a defensive turnaround after dropping out of the top 10 in total defense in 2023. Young will get a full season to show he can team with another established edge rusher after failing to meet sky-high expectations set for him by a reunion with former Ohio State teammate Nick Bosa in San Francisco.
Young's career began on a high note when he earned Defensive Rookie of the Year honors in 2020 before injuries undercut most of the 2021 and 2022 seasons. Instead of worrying about whether he might be traded by a team in transition in 2024, he'll begin his season in New Orleans with one goal on his mind: hunt quarterbacks.
