Saints $51 Million Blockbuster Called 'Baffling'

Let's take a quick break from all of the quarterback talk.

That's the talk of the New Orleans Saints right now after the latest mysterious update about Derek Carr. His shoulder is injured but right now there really hasn't been much of an update about what could be wrong.

Over the last month or so the Saints have been very busy adding to the franchse -- or retaining some of the team's top free agents. There have been moves that have been widely praised -- like the signing of Justin Reid. Others have been not so much. Bleacher Report's Gary Davenport made a list of the eight "worst" free-agent signings of the offseason so far and surprisingly had Chase Young's three-year, $51 million deal as the third-worst deal of the offseason and called it "baffling."

"Contract Terms: Three years, $51 million, $33 million guaranteed," Davenport said. "The New Orleans Saints entered free agency this year with the worst salary cap situation in the NFL. That makes the deal the team handed to edge-rusher Chase Young all the more baffling.

"Granted, there was a time when this deal might have appeared a bargain for Young. The second overall pick in the 2020 draft logged 7.5 sacks and captured Defensive Rookie of the Year honors in Washington. But the following season, Young tore his ACL and patellar tendon. He barely played the following year and was traded to the 49ers in 2023. Young did at least manage 7.5 sacks that season, but he was on the move again in 2024, landing in New Orleans. In his first year with the Saints, Young amassed 31 total tackles and 5.5 sacks."

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