Saints to sign former No. 2 overall pick to one-year deal

Young will receive $13M fully guaranteed on a one-year deal, ESPN’s Adam Schefter adds. That represents quite the ‘prove-it’ commitment on the part of New Orleans, a team that has shown interest in the former Defensive Rookie of the Year. 

Young’s visit with New Orleans was rescheduled to Monday, per Nick Underhill of NewOrleans.Football. Provided it goes according to plan, the sides will have a deal in place.

A trio of teams quickly emerged as Young suitors — New Orleans, Carolina and Tennessee. It thus comes as little surprise that the Saints appear to have won the competition for his services as he profiled as one of the more intriguing free agents on the market. 

Young will be 25 at the start of the 2024 season, meaning he could have more upside and runway for high-end play than many other veterans who landed big-money deals last week.

The Ohio State product entered the league with massive expectations, but for the most part, he did not deliver during his time in Washington. Injuries in 2021 and 2022, along with the perception of freelancing during his time with the Commanders, hindered Young’s trade value leading up to this year’s deadline. 

Washington appeared committed to retaining one of him and fellow first-rounder Montez Sweat. As such, Young’s contract year could have ended with him remaining in the nation’s capital.

However, he (like Sweat) was traded, finding himself in a deal that allowed him to reunite with former college teammate Nick Bosa in San Francisco. 

Young recorded five sacks in seven regular-season games with the 49ers, adding one in the team’s postseason run. A deal keeping him in the Bay Area was in the cards, but Young made it clear upon arrival that he would test the market. 

That suggested a departure could be coming, and he will now join a Saints team making another investment along the edge.

New Orleans has Cameron Jordan and Carl Granderson in the fold, with both veterans signing extensions last offseason. The team has also spent significant draft capital at the defensive end spot in recent years, including a first-round pick in 2021 (Payton Turner) and a second-rounder last April (Isaiah Foskey). Young will join that edge group for at least one season ahead of another potential trip to free agency.

The Saints — following yet another offseason filled with restructures and cuts needed to achieve cap compliance — entered Monday with $18.6M in cap space. 

Young’s deal being fully guaranteed will eat into that figure considerably, although void years will undoubtedly be in place. It will be interesting to see how he fares in New Orleans and how his performance affects his value ahead of next offseason.