Chase Young will reportedly undergo a neck procedure that will keep him off the field into training camp, according to ESPN.
The news comes a day after the defensive end signed a one-year, $13 million deal with the New Orleans Saints on Monday.
The Saints and other interested teams were reportedly aware of the injury.
Despite the setback, the Saints expect the former Defensive Rookie of the Year to be ready by the season opener.
And the NFC South runner-up is hoping Young returns to the form he displayed his first year in the league, when he recorded 44 tackles, 7.5 sacks, four passes defended and four forced fumbles in 15 games.
This is the just the latest injury for the former No. 2-overall pick. A torn ACL and ruptured patellar tendon in 2021 cost him a season and a half, and last season the Washington Commanders decided to trade him to the San Francisco 49ers in October.
The 24 year old produced 2.5 sacks over eight games for the 49ers following the move. In the last three seasons, the four-year veteran has totaled 56 tackles, nine sacks, five pass deflections and no forced fumbles in 28 games.
It’s what contributed to Washington deciding to decline his fifth-year option heading into last season and then part ways with him.
But Young showed up when he needed to when the 49ers played the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LVIII. His lone sack of the postseason came during San Francisco’s 25-22 overtime loss in the title bout.
Any forthcoming extension rides on his ability to recover from this most recent procedure. remain healthy and produce when he’s on the field.