Chicago Bears Wisely Extend Linebacker Willie Young

Word had been in the winds for a month or two that the Chicago Bears were discussing a possible contract extension for linebacker Willie Young.

This comes as a surprise to many. At the start of last year, one of the dominant subjects of the off-season was the arrival of defensive coordinator Vic Fangio. Though an accomplished coach who has had success with several NFL team, he didn’t appeal to Young at first for one simple reason. Fangio is a proprietor of the 3-4 defense. Up to that point Young had spent his entire NFL career as a defensive end in a 4-3. He wasn’t looking forward to the idea of switching to outside linebacker.

Still the team either failed or didn’t want to trade him and weren’t about to cut a productive pass rusher, so they kept him aboard and hoped he might learn to embrace the challenge. It took longer than expected but during the second half of the season things began to click. During one five-game stretch he had 5.5 sacks. He began to see the benefits of playing under Fangio, and not too long later was when the extension talks began.

#Bears OLB Willie Young has agreed to a 2-year contract extension through 2018, source said. He was on the final year of his contract.
— Adam Caplan (@caplannfl) July 30, 2016

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Young is 30-years old and has 16.5 sacks over the past two seasons with the Bears. Yet his production isn’t the only reason the team wanted him back. He’s also emerged as one of the core voices in the locker room. Young has always come across like a professional. He understands the game on both a physical and mental level and tries to help teammates understand what it takes to get better and be a good representative of the organization. Those are qualities that GM Ryan Pace and head coach John Fox want in their players.

So it’s no surprise they moved quickly to ensure he sticks around. Together with Lamarr Houston, Pernell McPhee and rookie Leonard Floyd the Chicago Bears could have one of the more intriguing pass rush rotations in the league this season. Young chose to stay because he wants to see how it develops and be a part of something that could be special.

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