For Chase Young, the vibes with his new team are immaculate.
The Pro Bowl defensive end was moved in a monster trade on Tuesday from the Washington Commanders to the San Francisco 49ers hours ahead of the Halloween trade deadline.
In his introduction to the media as a member of the 49ers on Monday, Young had high praise for the team that has played in consecutive NFC championships and are currently tied at the top of the NFC West.
‘I wasn’t mad,’ he said grinning when asked about his response to the trade.
The former Ohio State Buckeyes star noted that the environment was noticeably different right away.
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‘Just stepping in here for today, got in here last week, just the culture, the vibe is a lot different,’ he said. ‘I definitely know that I’m in the building with winners.’
When asked to elaborate on what exactly the difference was, he said, ‘Just the players, the spirit in the locker room, the spirit of the coaches, you know, it’s just different. It’s kinda that same thing at Ohio State where it’s like you’re expected to win and it’s just like that vibe of ‘We’re gonna win.’ … Just the details of each play, the details of my assignment much more greater, so I see why they win.’
The Commanders also sent edge rusher Montez Sweat to the Chicago Bears as part of their trade action.
Chase Young’s career with the Commanders
The then-Washington Football Team selected Young, who said he got the news of his trade via social media, as the No. 2 overall pick in the 2020 NFL draft. He was selected to his lone Pro Bowl and was named defensive rookie of the year after starting 15 games, in which he recorded four forced fumbles and 7.5 sacks.
Young tore his ACL midway through the 2021 season and only played three games in 2022. So far this season, he has played in seven games and recorded 15 tackles with five sacks.
‘I’m me and I will say sacks don’t tell you how good of a player you are,’ he said when asked about his recovery from the injury. ‘… I’m just gonna continue doing my job.’
Washington went 26-32 in Young’s tenure with the team and only went to the playoffs his rookie year when they lost in the wild-card round.
Young will return to FedEx Field when the Commanders host the 49ers in Week 17.
Chase Young reunites with Nick Bosa on 49ers
Young said that former Ohio State teammate Nick Bosa has ‘always been a big brother to me’ and playing with him again adds to his positive outlook on joining San Francisco.
Bosa was given an All-Pro nod last season after registering a league-leading 18.5 sacks with the 49ers. He also signed a five-year, $170 million extension in September, making him the highest-paid defensive player in league history.
Young said that his former Buckeyes teammate was among the first to reach out after the trade was announced.
‘It was literally like five minutes after they did it,’ he said. ‘He called me, ‘Bro!’ It was a good moment. Even in college, we never thought that we’d ever be able to play with each other again, so you know, it’s a blessing.’