I was fine with the Young signing even at a full $13 million and even after we found out he needed surgery. But, I do think it's true that we were desperate for a pass rusher and that Young was really the only guy in a reasonable price range that offered the potential impact and upside that we needed. We likely could not go into the market for the Daniele Hunter types and most of the rest of the options were either too old, too expensive, not correct fits, without a lot of upside, or signed by someone else. So, I think in that sense the Saints were desperate to sign Young because he was the only real option in their price range that could have the kind of impact on the pass rush that they need.
The result was that they were willing to take risks that some other teams were not willing to take. S.F. made the same calculation when they traded for him last year despite him having a neck injury at the time. That being said, the Saints a great job of protecting themselves by only risking about $5 million if he isn't able to play after the surgery and protecting themselves with bonuses only paid per game if he plays. I don't really think the surgery is going to be an issue and that he will likely play ever game this year, barring other injuries, but it's an overall great deal especially considering that they were in a position where they had to get a major potential pass rushing upgrade in free agency or be forced to take one at #14.