Chiefs Could Acquire 24-Year-Old Former 1st-Round WR In Trade With Saints

The New Orleans Saints haven't said anything publicly that indicates they're ready for a rebuild. But that doesn't mean they aren't mulling it privately.

Now that veteran quarterback Derek Carr has retired, the Saints are left with two options: try to compete for the playoffs with rookie second-round pick Tyler Shough at quarterback (and minimal talent around him) or start stockpiling draft capital for the future.

Though trading away some stars might hinder Shough's development, there's no telling whether the 25-year-old has franchise QB potential. Meanwhile, they've got one player to sell whose value might be reasonably high with two years remaning on his contract.

That player is 24-year-old wideout Chris Olave, the Saints' 2022 first-round pick who missed nine games last season due to a concussion. In his first two NFL seasons, Olave put up 1,042 and 1,123 receiving yards, respectively.

In a recent article, David Latham of Last Word on Sports named the Kansas City Chiefs as a potential landing spot for Olave, who is under team control through the 2026 season.

"The Chiefs have a high-risk, high-reward wide receiver room and could use more stability at the position. Xavier Worthy showed promise as a rookie, and Rashee Rice is already the real deal. If both players reach their potential, Patrick Mahomes should have no trouble leading another top-five offense," Latham wrote.

"However, Worthy might not make the Year 2 leap, and Rice is coming off a serious injury. Chris Olave has his own injury history, but the trade target will ensure Mahomes has at least one reliable target on the field throughout the season."

Kansas City has struggled to find stability at the wide receiver position, and as tight end Travis Kelce enters what may well be his final season, building up the skill positions around quarterback Patrick Mahomes seems to be a worthy objective.

Building a contender is all about getting the timing right, and Olave just seems too likely to leave in free agency for the Saints to keep him around and play for teams with losing records.

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