Saints’ Chris Olave posts hospital photo after medical scare

New Orleans Saints wide receiver Chris Olave will miss Sunday’s regular-season finale against the Atlanta Falcons after a blood clot was discovered in his lung, NewOrleans.Football’s Nick Underhill reported Thursday morning. The 25-year-old, who had been listed as out of Wednesday’s practice with an illness, was hospitalized but is expected to make a full recovery and be ready for the team’s offseason program in April.

Olave updated fans on Instagram from his hospital bed, flexing his muscles and sharing a message of gratitude and optimism.

“Thank you God for everything! Right where I need to be, life is full of unexpected twists & turns & I’m grateful to experience it. Chin up, chest out & keep it pushin. I don’t want ya sympathy just talk to God for me. Bounce back otw!”

An accompanying post showed a motivational sign that read:

“IT’S A FULL TIME JOB BELIEVING IN YOURSELF. NO DAYS OFF.”

Teammates, including quarterback Spencer Rattler and running back Devin Neal, responded with supportive emojis.

Olave finishes a career-best 2025 season with New Orleans, recording 100 receptions for 1,163 yards and nine touchdowns, all personal highs. His 53 first-down receptions were just shy of the 57 he had in 2023. These statistics came after missing nine games last season due to multiple concussions and contemplating retirement. Olave also battled a recurring back injury late in the season, but didn’t let it prevent him from maintaining his high level of play, with noteworthy performances, including Week 16’s 10 catches for 148 yards and two touchdowns against the New York Jets and Week 17’s eight catches for 119 yards with a touchdown against the Tennessee Titans. In the last two weeks, Olave caught 18 passes for 267 yards and three touchdowns, making his impact on the offense clear.

The way Olave and rookie quarterback Tyler Shough synced up this season made him a go-to target every game. After Shough took over as a starter in Week 9, Olave averaged six receptions for 110 yards and six touchdowns across eight games, asserting his role as Shough’s primary target and the Saints’ leading receiver after the departures of Rashid Shaheed and Brandin Cooks. His 2025 campaign was the third 1,000-yard season of his four-year NFL career, building on a first-round selection in 2022 and an impressive career with the Ohio State Buckeyes, with 176 catches, 2,711 yards, and 35 touchdowns.

Olave is slated to play on his fifth-year option in 2026, valued at $15.493 million, and is eligible for a contract extension. The 6-10 New Orleans will be without Olave for Sunday’s season finale, a matchup irrelevant to their own season but that could impact NFC South playoff standings for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (7-9) and Carolina Panthers (8-8).