Chase Young's Contract Details Show New Orleans Saints Were Crafty, Prepared For Neck Procedure

After originally being reported as a fully guaranteed deal, it looks like the agreement between the New Orleans Saints and Chase Young is not so simple.

NEW ORLEANS -- Fans of the signing of defensive end Chase Young were met with some bad news on Tuesday after reports stated that Young would need offseason neck procedure. The issue that some took with the news was not necessarily the procedure itself, but the contract that the New Orleans Saints had straddled him with. The deal was reported as a one-year, fully guaranteed $13 million contract. A deal that would have been a bad look considering the Saints were aware of the situation.

The agreement had many people looking for answers. Why guarantee $13 million to a player that is about to undergo surgery? Neck surgery at that. The questions were valid. But turns out, the contract agreement was not what it was expected to be.

San Francisco 49ers defensive end Chase Young (92) reacts against the Kansas City Chiefs / Feb 11, 2024; Paradise, Nevada, USA; San Francisco 49ers defensive end Chase Young (92) reacts against the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LVIII at Allegiant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Per CBS NFL Insider Jonathan Jones, the deal includes $7.99 million in per-game roster bonuses. In addition, a base salary of just $2.7 million, signing bonus of only $1.86 million and an additional $450,000 workout bonus.

If that no longer sounds like a guaranteed contract, that would be because it is not. Before going further, defining a couple of terms would be wise. The NFL defines per-game roster bonuses as an amount awarded to a player on a per-game basis for being on the team's game-day or 53-man active roster.

That means that Young will receive $470,000 for each game that he is either on the Active List (game-day roster) or Active Roster (53-man roster). More than half of his contract is tied to be healthy and/or available.

Washington Commanders defensive end Chase Young (99) battles with Atlanta Falcons offensive tackle Jake Matthews / Oct 15, 2023; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Washington Commanders defensive end Chase Young (99) battles with Atlanta Falcons offensive tackle Jake Matthews (70) during the first half at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

Workout bonuses work much differently, but are very relevant to the conversation around Young's offseason medical plan. $450,000 are tied to Young's participation in an agreed-upon percentage of attendance (not exceeding 84.375%) of offseason activities. Offseason workouts tend to include OTAs and possibly minicamps. Whatever is not earned during that time is typically returned to the team during training camp.

This news also indicates that the initial report of Young's signing was accurate. Per Josina Anderson, CBS NFL Insider, the deal was expected to be one-year and worth up to $13 million. That phrase "up to" tends to imply that incentives or per-milestone payments of some kind will be involved. For the purposes of this contract, the per-game roster bonuses are exactly that type of payment. 

More details have also come to light around the specifics on Young's injury. As expected, the procedure is tied to a 2023 preseason stinger injury that Young endured throughout the season. Per NFL Reporter Albert Breer, the scans of that injury even impacted Young's trade market at the deadline. The San Francisco 49ers were comfortable with the situation and then got every game out of Young they needed all the way through the playoffs and into a Super Bowl appearance. 

Breer also highlights that the expected recovery time for the procedure is just 3-5 months. That gives the Saints a range to expect the pass rusher back before training camp starts into the preseason. Good news.

In either case Young is expected to be ready for the season. But it looks like the Saints are keeping the door open for an earlier return while also safeguarding themselves against a later one. This is yet another great contract structure coming from the New Orleans front office.

Saints Reportedly Aware Of Chase Young's Neck Procedure, He Will Be Ready For Training Camp