Saints Interested In Chris Olave Extension
OCTOBER 19: In response to Russini’s report yesterday making movement towards an Olave extension seem like breaking news, Olave himself seemed to indicate that this is not new information. According to ESPN’s Katherine Terrell, Olave claimed that the two sides have “been having conversations since…the beginning of the year.”
OCTOBER 18: Saints wide receiver Chris Olave has been part of trade speculation leading up to the Nov. 4 deadline. Olave said earlier this week that he’d like to stay with the Saints, though, and he may get his wish. New Orleans is trying to sign Olave to a contract extension, Dianna Russini of The Athletic reports.
As a former first-round pick, Olave’s rookie contract comes with a fifth-year option. The Saints exercised Olave’s option last spring, meaning they don’t have to worry about losing him to free agency until after 2026. He’s due to earn $15.49MM next season.
The fact that Olave comes with a season and a half of team control undoubtedly helps add to his appeal for teams seeking help at receiver before the deadline. It should also up his trade value from the Saints’ point of view. As it stands, the 1-5 Saints have just five picks in next year’s draft. Dealing Olave would likely add to the total.
While Olave has already amassed 230 catches and 2,907 yards at the age of 25, there are red flags with the former Ohio State Buckeye. After combining for 159 receptions during back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons to begin his career, he missed nine games last year as a result of two concussions. Olave has come back this season to record team highs in catches (39) and targets (64) with quarterback Spencer Rattler at the helm, but he has averaged a personal-worst 8.8 yards per reception (down from a career 12.6).
The 11th player off the board in 2022, Olave has seen the 10th and 12th selections (also receivers) from that draft class sign extensions. After a wildly productive first three seasons, former Olave college teammate and current Jet Garrett Wilson inked a four-year, $130MM deal with $90MM guaranteed last July. Shortly before the season began, the Lions signed Jameson Williams to a three-year, $83MM pact with $67MM guaranteed.
If he lands an extension, Olave won’t come close to the mammoth Wilson contract. On the other hand, based on his superior career production, he at least has a case to approach Williams’ deal.
Williams played in 18 games in his first two seasons and caught just 25 passes. He missed four games in his second year a result of a gambling suspension. The former Alabama standout enjoyed a breakout 2024, grabbing 58 of 91 targets for 1,001 yards and seven touchdowns. However, he did miss two games because of a PED suspension. Despite two suspensions, Williams secured a lucrative payday with only 83 receptions, 1,396 yards, and seven scores on his resume over 33 games.
Thanks largely to his off-field issues, the Lions took a risk in locking up Williams. Considering his recent problems with concussions, the Saints would be doing the same in Olave’s case. With Olave tied to his fifth-year option, general manager Mickey Loomis isn’t under any immediate pressure to either extend or trade the wideout. Nevertheless, Olave will remain a name to watch as the deadline draws closer.
Alvin Kamara, Chris Olave Reiterate Desire To Stay With Saints
With the Saints currently sitting at the bottom of the NFC, many of the teams veterans have been popular names in trade rumblings. The most notable of those players is Alvin Kamara, who recently stated his desire to stick in New Orleans for the rest of his career. In fact, the star running back even hinted that he’d retire instead of joining a new squad.
[RELATED: Saints Unlikely To Trade Alvin Kamara]
That report from this past weekend mentioned that general manager Mickey Loomis approached Kamara about a potential change of scenery. However, the running back told reporters today that no conversation took place, and it’s understood within the organization that the player will be staying put.
“Yeah, I don’t know where that [came from],” Kamara said (via ESPN’s Katherine Terrell). “We talked about [the report] and we was looking at each other like the little Spider-Man meme: ‘Did you say something? Did I say something?’ I don’t know where that came from, but I think I’ve been vocal enough that … I don’t want to go anywhere.”
Kamara also told reporters that he’s been apart of rumors “for years” and doesn’t focus much on the reports. At the same time, the two-time All-Pro acknowledged that it’s a “business” and he doesn’t “really know what happens up” in the front office. The 30-year-old is under contract through the 2026 season, although only $3MM of next year’s salary is guaranteed. For what it’s worth, Kamara’s deal doesn’t include a no-trade clause.
While Chris Olave‘s name hasn’t been connected to any definitive reports, the receiver has also been included in trade speculation. The former first-round pick said that someone within the organization even addressed the rumblings with him, and the player understands that the rumors are simply part of playing in the NFL.
“That’s part of the business, man,” Olave said (via Terrell). “It’s been like that all year, in the offseason. Even right now, I ain’t really been on social media, but I know it’s cooking right now that we’re 1-5. So, there’s always rumors, the internet trying to always create some buzz. But I had a conversation with the people in the building so I’m very confident.”
Browns, Steelers Inquired About Saints’ Chris Olave
The Browns and the Steelers both reached out the Saints regarding the availability of wide receiver Chris Olave this offseason, according to Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer.
New Orleans rebuffed those overtures and doubled down on their commitment to the 2022 first-rounder by picking up his fifth-year option. That will keep Olave under contract through the 2026 season, during which he will earn a fully-guaranteed $15.5MM.
Cleveland and Pittsburgh have both been active in the wide receiver trade market over the last few years. The Browns brought in Amari Cooper in 2022 and Jerry Jeudy in 2024. (Cooper was later traded to the Bills at last season’s trade deadline.) The Steelers, meanwhile, sent a second-round pick to the Seahawks to acquire D.K. Metcalf this offseason and sent George Pickens to the Cowboys earlier this month.
Installing a new coaching staff tends to lead to player turnover as the roster is evaluated for fit with the incoming scheme. Between that and Olave’s down year in 2024, the Browns and the Steelers may have thought they could swoop in for a bargain.
However, the Saints declined to engage in trade talks for the 24-year-old wideout. That could be because new head coach Kellen Moore and offensive coordinator Doug Nussmeier see a major role for Olave in their passing attack. It could also be due to Olave’s lower trade value coming off a 400-yard season after he eclipsed 1,000 yards in each of his first two.
Picking up Olave’s fifth-year option indicates that the Saints believe he can bounce back in 2025, though he will have to adjust to a new coaching staff and a new quarterback, likely rookie Tyler Shough. If Olave returns to his top-25 production, he should be in line for an extension with a substantial raise next offseason.
2026 NFL Fifth-Year Option Tracker
NFL teams have until May 1 to officially pick up fifth-year options on 2022 first-rounders. The 2020 CBA revamped the option structure and made them fully guaranteed, rather than guaranteed for injury only. Meanwhile, fifth-year option salaries are now determined by a blend of performance- and usage-based benchmarks:
- Two-time Pro Bowlers (excluding alternates) will earn the same as their position’s franchise tag
- One-time Pro Bowlers will earn the equivalent of the transition tag
- Players who achieve any of the following will receive the average of the third-20th-highest salaries at their position:
- At least a 75% snap rate in two of their first three seasons
- A 75% snap average across all three seasons
- At least 50% in each of first three seasons
- Players who do not hit any of those benchmarks will receive the average of the third-25th top salaries at their position
We covered how last year’s Pro Bowl invites affected the 2022 first-round class. With the deadline looming, we will use the space below to track all the 2026 option decisions from around the league:
- DE/OLB Travon Walker, Jaguars ($14.75MM): Exercised
- DE/OLB Aidan Hutchinson, Lions ($19.87MM): Exercised
- CB Derek Stingley Jr., Texans ($17.6MM): Extended through 2029
- CB Sauce Gardner, Jets ($20.19MM): Exercised
- OLB Kayvon Thibodeaux, Giants ($14.75MM): Exercised
- T Ikem Ekwonu, Panthers ($17.56MM): Exercised
- T Evan Neal, Giants ($16.69MM): Declined
- WR Drake London, Falcons ($16.82MM): Exercised
- T Charles Cross, Seahawks ($17.56MM): Exercised
- WR Garrett Wilson, Jets ($16.82MM): Exercised
- WR Chris Olave, Saints ($15.49MM): Exercised
- WR Jameson Williams, Lions ($15.49MM): Exercised
- DT Jordan Davis, Eagles ($12.94MM): Exercised
- S Kyle Hamilton, Ravens ($18.6MM): Exercised
- G Kenyon Green, Eagles* ($16.69MM): Declined
- WR Jahan Dotson, Eagles** ($16.82MM): Declined
- G Zion Johnson, Chargers ($17.56MM): Declined
- WR Treylon Burks, Titans ($15.49MM): Declined
- T Trevor Penning, Saints ($16.69MM): Declined
- QB Kenny Pickett, Browns*** ($22.12MM): Declined
- CB Trent McDuffie, Chiefs ($13.63MM): Exercised
- LB Quay Walker, Packers ($14.75MM): Declined
- CB Kaiir Elam, Cowboys**** ($12.68MM): Declined
- G Tyler Smith, Cowboys ($20.99MM): Exercised
- C Tyler Linderbaum, Ravens ($20.99MM): Declined
- DE Jermaine Johnson, Jets ($13.92MM): Exercised
- LB Devin Lloyd, Jaguars ($14.75MM): Exercised
- DT Devonte Wyatt, Packers ($12.94MM): Exercised
- G Cole Strange, Patriots ($16.69MM): Declined
- DE George Karlaftis, Chiefs ($15.12MM): Exercised
- DB Dax Hill, Bengals ($12.68MM): Exercised
- S Lewis Cine, Vikings: N/A
* = traded from Texans on March 11, 2025
** = traded from Commanders on August 22, 2024
*** = traded from Eagles on March 15, 2024; traded from Steelers on March 10, 2025
**** = traded from Bills to Cowboys on March 12, 2025
Saints To Exercise Chris Olave’s Fifth-Year Option, Decline Trevor Penning’s
The Saints maneuvered to make two first-round picks in 2022. One has worked out, the other has not. As a result, Mickey Loomis said Wednesday the team will only pick up one fifth-year option from that first-round haul.
Chris Olave‘s contract will now run through 2026 (via NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport), but Trevor Penning will be thrown into a contract year by virtue of New Orleans declining his fifth-year option.
Yet to make a Pro Bowl, Olave has also seen his 2025 concussion issues impede him on the fifth-year option front. The Ohio State product failed to hit a 75% snap share in his first two seasons, but had he played at least 50% of New Orleans’ offensive snaps last year, he would have still found his way onto the third tier on the option structure. By missing nine games in 2024, Olave will land on the bottom tier here. That will place his 2026 base salary at $15.49MM.
Penning also lands on the bottom tier, which is $16.69MM for offensive linemen. Considering Penning’s uneven first three seasons, he was never a realistic candidate to see his option exercised. While Loomis stressed (via NewOrleans.football’s Mike Triplett) this does not mean the Saints do not have confidence in their 2024 right tackle starter, this does move him into a walk year.
Chosen out of Northern Iowa, Penning has been tried at LT and RT. The Saints displaced him from the blind side by drafting Taliese Fuaga in last year’s first round. While Penning did bounce back from 2022 injury trouble and a 2023 benching to make 17 RT starts, he has not justified the Saints’ No. 19 overall investment.
As the Saints are being connected to another first-round tackle pick — as they consider acquiring a quarterback in Round 2 or a via a trade-up move from that No. 40 spot — they will hope Olave and Rashid Shaheed can stay healthy in 2025. Olave has shown difference-making potential when on the field, working with Andy Dalton and Derek Carr. The 2022 No. 11 overall pick, who acquired two trades to land that year, posted back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons to start his career but sustained two concussions last year. This shut down Olave to close what turned into a lost Saints season.
The young WR talent spoke with specialists, and the Saints exercising his option points to organizational confidence he can shake this concerning issue. The Saints may be on the lookout for more receiving help in the draft, but they did reunite with Brandin Cooks in free agency. Olave will be asked to lead the team’s first Kellen Moore-overseen receiving corps, with Cooks and Shaheed in clear supporting roles.
NFC South Notes: Bucs, Brooks, Saints
As the post-Super Bowl LV offseason showed and last year reaffirmed, the Buccaneers are high on retaining talent. Those waves of re-signings and extensions involved numerous core players staying, and last year’s effort included Mike Evans re-signing on a third contract. Evans’ deal preceded the Bucs drafting Jalen McMillan in the third round. Tasked with a bigger role after Chris Godwin‘s season-ending ankle injury, McMillan impressed down the stretch — to the point the Bucs could use a rookie-contract wideout to replace their longtime WR2. But it does not appear Tampa Bay has given up on keeping their long-running wideout tandem intact.
Multiple execs informed ESPN.com’s Jeremy Fowler they expect the Bucs to attempt to re-sign Godwin, who played out a three-year, $60MM deal. Tampa Bay had twice franchise-tagged Godwin, giving him an extension in 2022, but has seen him suffer two major injuries. Then again, the Bucs re-upped the talented Evans sidekick — the second-leading receiver in franchise history — months after an ACL tear. Godwin, 28, would stand to have a nice market if he hit free agency for the first time. The Bucs have until March 10 to prevent that, but the team has also done very well — as the Shaquil Barrett, Carlton Davis and Jamel Dean deals show — to re-sign players even if they do test the market.
Here is the latest from the NFC South:
- After Liam Coen avoided contact with Bucs brass during his secret negotiations with the Jaguars, a report indicated Tampa Bay was unlikely to do its former OC any favors regarding assistant coaches. The Bucs are not prepared to let contracted staffers follow Coen to Jacksonville, and ESPN.com’s Jeremy Fowler notes the team blocked O-line coach Kevin Carberry from interviewing for the same position with the Jags. Carberry worked with Coen in Los Angeles and came to Tampa last year, but unless a promotion to OC would be in the offing, the Bucs can block interview requests involving assistants.
- Jonathon Brooks re-tore the right ACL he injured in college, and the Panthers running back is not expected to be ready to start the 2025 season. The 2024 second-round pick may not factor prominently into that campaign. Brooks underwent surgery last week, per The Athletic’s Joe Person, who adds the Panthers hope the running back would be ready to return before season’s end. A definitive timeline is not yet in place, but Carolina will not be expecting an Adrian Peterson-like recovery from a player who now has sustained two ACL tears since November 2023. It took Brooks until November 24 to debut for the Panthers. He suffered the latest tear Dec. 8. Two years of Brooks’ four-year rookie contract figure to be dominated by missed time.
- Chris Olave suffered two concussions during the season; the second knocked him out for the Saints‘ eight games. The former first-round pick visited specialists, and while he did not don a game uniform again, he did return to practice. Olave said he is now symptom-free, per ESPN.com’s Katherine Terrell, and ready for a full offseason. That represents good news for a Saints team searching for a new head coach. One year remains on Olave’s rookie contract, though the Saints can extend it through 2025 by exercising the Ohio State alum’s fifth-year option by May.
- Cam Jordan wants to play a 15th NFL season, but something might have to give in order for that to happen. The Saints used Jordan as an inside defender on 22.7% of his snaps last season, Terrell notes, and Jordan wants to come back exclusively as a D-end. The decorated sack artist’s production has declined in recent years. After totaling at least 7.5 sacks every season from 2012-22, Jordan registered four in 2024 — after a two-sack 2023. Jordan is due a $12.5MM base salary in his contract year, but as one of the many Saints prior restructures, this contract contains four void years. It would cost New Orleans $23.9MM in dead money to dump Jordan ahead of his age-36 season.
Saints’ Chris Olave Returns To Practice; Alvin Kamara’s Season Could Be Over
The Saints are set to swap offensive playmakers in the coming weeks, with Chris Olave returning to practice from injured reserve and Alvin Kamara potentially out for the season with a groin injury.
Olave was cleared by a concussion specialist on Tuesday, per Nick Underhill of NewOrleans.Football, more than a month after he was hospitalized after a scary hit by Panthers safety Xavier Woods. Olave has been on injured reserve since November 9, but is set to play again this season after initial uncertainty surrounding his injury.
Kamara picked up a groin injury in Week 15 against the Commanders, and head coach Darren Rizzi told media on Thursday that the injury was more severe than originally though (via Underhill). Not only is the five-time Pro Bowler expected to miss Monday’s game against the Packers, he may also be out for the season, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
If Kamara’s season is indeed over, he will still finish with a career-high 950 rushing yards as one of the few bright spots in the Saints’ 5-9 season. He signed a two-year, $24.5MM extension in October that will keep him in New Orleans through 2026.
Olave, meanwhile, had an up-and-down season that has not included the same consistent production as his first two years in the NFL. After nine touchdowns and 2,165 yards (69.8 yards per game) in 2022 and 2023, he’s scored just once this year with an average of 50.0 yards per game. His efficiency has actually increased, with a career-high 72.7% catch rate, 65.9% success rate, and 9.1 yards per target.
Saints WR Chris Olave Expected To Land On IR, May Be Done For Season
Chris Olave may have already played his last snap of the 2024 campaign. NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reports that the Saints wide receiver is expected to land on injured reserve today. Olave suffered a concussion in Week 9 and was already ruled out for tomorrow’s game against the Falcons. Olave will now be out for at least the next four games.
[RELATED: Saints’ Chris Olave Visiting Concussion Specialists]
As we learned earlier this week, Olave is set to visit specialists as he determines his future in the NFL. Nick Underhill of NewOrleans.football says the “expectation” is that Olave won’t play again during the 2024 campaign. Rapoport echos that sentiment, citing the nature of the injury, Olave’s impending visits with specialists, and the Saints’ unlikely chances of making the postseason.
This latest concussion marks the second time this season that Olave has dealt with a brain injury, continuing a troubling trend for the wideout. The 2022 first-round pick also dealt with concussions in each of his first two seasons, and this latest occurrence prompted meetings with specialists. When Olave returned to the field in Week 8 following a one-game absence, he was sporting a new helmet, although the player opted against wearing a Guardian Cap.
As Olave navigates his latest concussion, it sounds like the Saints are opting to play it safe with their young star. Following a 2-0 start, the Saints are in the midst of a seven-game losing streak, leading to Dennis Allen‘s firing earlier this week. With fellow wideout Rashid Shaheed having already been lost for the season, the Saints receivers room will be down to the likes of veterans Cedrick Wilson Jr. and Marquez Valdes-Scantling, plus UDFAs Mason Tipton and Jermaine Jackson.
Saints Place Chris Olave On IR, Activate Shane Lemieux, Will Harris
The Saints have officially placed Chris Olave on injured reserve. The third-year wideout will miss at least the first four games as a result, although his availability for the remainder of the season is in question.
Olave is dealing with his second concussion of the season, which also represents his fourth in less than three full campaigns in the NFL. The 24-year-old’s visits with specialists will determine his next steps, but for at least the immediate future he will be unavailable to the 2-7 Saints as they begin life with Darren Rizzi as head coach. New Orleans has already lost fellow WR starter Rashid Shaheed for the season.
Olave is under contract through 2025 as things stand, but his fifth-year option for the following season could be exercised this spring. A decision on that front – or any approach with respect to a long-term extension, of course – will be dictated in large part by the Ohio State product’s prognosis. Given how far the Saints are from postseason contention along with the long-term approach being taken by team and player, attention will increasingly turn toward Olave’s Week 1 availability in 2025.
New Orleans will have a pair of returnees in the lineup for Week 10, however. The team also announced on Saturday that offensive lineman Shane Lemieux has been activated from IR. The 27-year-old took over as the first-team option at center once Erik McCoy was injured; McCoy has been ruled out for tomorrow’s contest, so Lemieux could reprise that role now that he is healthy. If not, he will be an option in the middle but also at guard as the Saints look to establish a consistent lineup along the O-line to close out the year.
Safety Will Harris has also been activated from IR. A hamstring injury led him to injured reserve roughly one month ago, interrupting his debut campaign in New Orleans. Harris started each of his five appearances prior to going down, serving in a first-team role after he did so during parts of his five-year Lions tenure. Harris, 28, will look to aid a defense which ranks 27th against the pass this season.
These moves will leave the Saints with five IR activations on the year. Bringing Olave back into the fold at some point would lower that figure, but it appears signficant progress will need to be made in his recovery for that to become a consideration.
Saints’ Chris Olave Visiting Concussion Specialists; IR Under Consideration
10:08pm: Rizzi said on Friday a move to injured reserve is under consideration in Olave’s case (h/t Nick Underhill of NewOrleans.Football). That would ensure at least a four-game absence and allow for an extended period of further evaluation and recovery similar to how the Dolphins proceeded with Tua Tagovailoa earlier in the year. The Saints – who have officially ruled Olave out for Week 10 – currently have seven IR return slots available for the rest of the season.
9:54am: Chris Olave was knocked out of the Saints’ Week 9 game with his latest concussion. The third-year wideout was quickly discharged from hospital after the injury, but he and the team are taking a slow approach to his recovery process.
Olave was diagnosed with one concussion in each of his first two seasons in the league. In 2024, he has dealt with two more brain injuries, a concerning trend for his short- and long-term health. The 24-year-old is meeting with specialists in the wake of his latest concussion, as detailed by ESPN’s Katherine Terrell.
“He wants to go thoroughly through the process and making sure he’s making the best decision for Chris Olave, removing football from that equation… What’s the best decision for the person?” interim head coach Darren Rizzi said. “So, my conversations with him and our medical staff, we’ve been thorough and his family’s going to be thorough with the process. I completely support that.”
Olave changed helmets after his first concussion of the season to a model designed for better protection against further brain trauma. He considered wearing a Guardian Cap upon return, but elected not to do so. Regardless of if his stance on that front changes, the Ohio State product’s ability to remain on the field once he receives clearance will be a key storyline for the Saints. New Orleans is without wideout Rashid Shaheed for the remainder of the campaign, so having Olave back in the near future would be crucial for the team’s passing attack down the stretch.
With the Saints sitting at 2-7 on the year, however, the long-term outlook for his injury status is of course much more important. Olave will be eligible for an extension this offseason, and a decision on his 2026 fifth-year option will need to be made during the spring. The former No. 11 pick will be in line for $16.63MM that year if his option gets picked up, and a long-term deal would require a signficant investment on the Saints’ part if they were to commit to a second contract in this case.
Olave topped 1,000 yards as a rookie, averaging 14.5 yards per catch. He took on a larger target share last year, increasing his catch, yardage and touchdown totals along the way. Expectations therefore remain high for the rest of 2024 and beyond, but for the time being attention will remain focused on the outcome of his medical evaluations.