San Francisco 49ers Urged to Re-Sign Former Top Draft Pick
The San Francisco 49ers acted aggressively at the NFL trade deadline to acquire Chase Young as a bookend opposite Nick Bosa along the defensive line, but could wind up losing the former No. 2 overall NFL Draft pick when free agency gets underway.
Young was a bit of a late bloomer after he arrived in the Bay Area, finishing the 2023 campaign with just 2.5 sacks in nine games in a San Francisco 49ers uniform. However, Young was a human wrecking ball during a Super Bowl loss to the Kansas City Chiefs.
After finishing the season strong, CBS Sports names Young as the one free agent the 49ers ‘can’t afford to lose.’
“The 49ers flipped a 2024 third-round pick to acquire Young from the Washington Commanders,” Garrett Podell writes for CBS Sports. “And to make the most of the Day 2 pick cost, San Francisco needs to re-sign him. They might be able to get him to re-sign on a cheap, one-year prove-it deal after he registered just 3.5 sacks and pressure rate of 11.9%.
“Young has potential, but there were too many times this past season when he was going through the motions. Perhaps a full season with the NFC champions could help him shake some of the bad habits he built up in Washington.”
Keeping Young in place makes some sense for the 49ers, especially given the lack of star power at the position in the upcoming draft class.
Chase Young’s Market Value
Injuries have played a key role in Chase Young never quite living up to his pre-draft hype after a stellar career at Ohio State, and being chosen with the No. 2 overall pick by Washington.
However, Young is hitting free agency at an ideal time, with the crop of free-agent pass rushers lacking breadth and quality depth.
According to Spotrac, Young might need to settle for some sort of ‘prove-it’ deal this offseason.
Spotrac projects Young could be had for a one-year contract worth $13 million, which would make him the 16th-highest-paid defensive end in the sport.
If that’s the deal that Young winds up signing, the Houston Texans could be a team to watch — aiming to add a complementary pass-rusher to Will Anderson Jr, and with $70 million in cap space. Likewise, the Detroit Lions have more than $54 million in cap space and could use pass-rush up on the opposite side of the defensive line from game-wrecker Aidan Hutchinson.
How Much Cap Space do the San Francisco 49ers Have?
The 49ers may struggle to keep Young, given the current cap situation.
General manager John Lynch and the San Francisco 49ers are currently $3.4 million over the cap. So, any deal to bring Young back would likely need to spread his cap hit over multiple seasons in upcoming years. Such a strategy could create its own set of pitfalls, with quarterback Brock Purdy in line for a significant contract following the 2025 season.
