The New Orleans Saints have some key pieces heading to free agency this offseason but could the team bring some internal options back for the 2025 campaign?
New Orleans has a handful of players heading to free agency including 25-year-old defensive end Chase Young. He's projected to land a four-year deal worth over $70 million by Spotrac. New Orleans is in a tough spot cap-wise right now, but it surely will restructure deals this offseason.
It's unclear if Young will be back, but he was pretty great for the Saints this year. He had 5.5 sacks and is just 25 years old. It would be nice to have him back and ESPN's Jeremy Fowler reported he is "open" to a return.
"Young notched 5.5 sacks with the Saints, and his 46 pressures tied for the 11th most in the league," ESPN's Matt Bowen said. "The No. 2 pick in the 2020 draft is still in his prime years and can add depth to a defensive line room.
"Fowler's latest: Young is open to a return to New Orleans, where he just played out a one-year deal -- though a different defense could generate more sack opportunities for him," Fowler said. "He might opt for stability over last year's prove-it-deal status coming off a serious neck injury."
Young has all of the talent in the world and has been healthy for two straight years after injury-riddled 2021 and 2022 campaigns. It would be nice to have him back if the Saints could make the money work.
