Getty Defensive end Chase Young of the Washington Commanders.
The Chicago Bears are positioned to make a run at an edge defender with one of the highest upsides in the NFL, but he isn’t going to come cheap.
Defensive end Chase Young is entering the fourth and final season of his four-year, $35 million deal with the Washington Commanders. Despite selecting Young with the No. 2 overall pick in 2020, the Commanders chose not pick up his fifth-year option this offseason when they had the chance. That unusual decision indicates that Washington is seriously considering a future without Young in it, which makes the former Defensive Rookie of the Year a strong trade candidate ahead of the October 31 deadline.
Chicago is an obvious landing spot for Young for two reasons. First, the Bears are in fairly desperate need of an upgrade on the edge after amassing a league-worst 20 sacks in 2022. Second, Chicago has nearly $28.4 million in available salary cap space — more than enough to absorb the last season of Young’s rookie contract with an eye toward extending him long-term.
On Saturday, July 29, Alex Ballentine of Bleacher Report pitched a specific trade proposal that would see the Bears flip starting defensive end Trevis Gipson, wideout and return specialist Velus Jones Jr. and the team’s third-round pick in 2024 for Young’s rights.
Chase Young’s Trade Value Has Dipped Significantly Since Monster Rookie Season
GettyDefensive end Chase Young of the Washington Commanders signals possession during an NFL game against the Dallas Cowboys in January 2023.
Ballentine’s proposal is somewhat precarious, as it doesn’t afford Young the kind of value a 24-year-old former Pro Bowler traditionally has in NFL trade talks. However, Young’s history of injury since joining the league and the questions about his on-field motor have devalued the defensive end since his breakout rookie campaign.
The Commanders’ choice not to lock him up for a fifth year is also a bit of leverage any team attempting to trade for Young will have at its disposable in future negotiations.
“The Commanders did not pick up [Young’s] fifth-year option and already have a lot of money invested in the defensive line with Jonathan Allen and Daron Payne both already set for cap hits over $20 million, and Montez Sweat in line for a huge extension,” Ballentine wrote. “Even if Young can stay on the field and produce, the Commanders still might balk at the idea of paying him.”
“Gipson and Jones Jr. are both young players who could still blossom but are worth giving up for a potential star in Young,” Ballentine continued.
Bears More Likely to Trade for DE Chase Young Sometime During 2023 Season
GettyDefensive end Chase Young of the Washington Commanders is a prime trade candidate ahead of the 2023 mid-season deadline on October 31.
Edge rushers in their mid-20s, even those with a couple red flags on their resumés, remain among the highest-valued commodities in the contemporary NFL. In other words, the Bears probably aren’t getting a player like Young for a package like the one Ballentine proposed — even if it’s fair.
That said, the Bears most definitely has the assets necessary to acquire Young if the front office envisions a long-term future for edge defender in Chicago. Draft capital is likely the key to getting a deal for Young done, and the Bears have plenty of it — including two firsts, a second, a third and two fourths in 2024 alone.
Young won’t command a first-round choice anywhere, at least not before the season begins, after appearing in just 12 games and tallying only 1.5 sacks over the past two regular seasons, per Pro Football Reference. But the Commanders aren’t likely to throw in the towel on Young as an asset and accept a middling third-rounder as the centerpiece of a deal when they can hold onto him and probably do considerably better a few months down the road.
The most likely scenario is that Washington keeps Young and allows him to re-establish his value as a top-end player at a top-end position over the first half of the season, then looks to move him sometime in October. At that point, the Bears might be willing to consider a second-round pick, along with some other considerations, to acquire a youthful pass rusher who showed the ability to disrupt opposing backfields from the jump as a rookie.