Saints reportedly signing former No. 2 overall pick Chase Young to $51M deal

Chase Young has yet to live up to the expectations that made him the No. 2 pick in the 2020 NFL Draft.

But the Saints like what they've seen enough to bet on his upside. Per NFL Network, New Orleans is re-signing Young to a three-year contract worth $51 million that could escalate to $57 million.

Young gets the long-term deal after playing on a one-year, $13 million contract for the Saints in 2024.

Young's run from No. 2 pick to long-term Saints deal

Washington drafted Young in 2020 out of Ohio State as a difference-making pass rusher. Young initially flashed that upside with a Rookie of the Year campaign that featured 7.5 sacks. He's failed to exceed that sack total in four seasons since.

Young produced just 1.5 sacks in his second NFL season before tearing an ACL in the ninth game of the campaign. The injury limited Young to three games in his third season, and the Commanders declined to pick up the fifth-year option on his rookie contract, an outlier decision for a player drafted as high as he was.

Washington then traded Young midway through his fourth NFL season to the San Francisco 49ers. He tallied 7.5 sacks between the two teams in 2023, then joined the Saints last offseason on the one-year prove-it deal.

Young responded with 5.5 sacks and 31 tackles, numbers that failed to jump off the page. But he got consistent pressure on opposing quarterbacks and produced a career-high 21 quarterback hits and 34 combined quarterback pressures.

That impact on opposing backfields compelled the Saints to sign Young to a long-term deal at 25 years old.