
Will the New Orleans Saints find a way to ink Chris Olave to a long-term extension this offseason?
It arguably would be the right call. The Saints picked up the fifth-year option on the star receiver's rookie deal before the 2025 season began. Olave will have a cap hit of just over $15 million in 2026 and will be a pending free agent after the season, unless some sort of extension gets done at some point beforehand.
If you like our content, choose Sports Illustrated as a preferred source on Google.
Saints general manager Mickey Loomis was asked about the possibility of an extension for Olave this offseason and noted that there have been a "couple conversations" and that he's an important member of the team, but they haven't spent much time on the possibility quite yet.
"Chris is obviously an important player to us and had a really good season, but we haven’t really spent much time thinking about that right now," Loomis said. "We’ve had a couple conversations with his agent, but ... that’ll be part of this offseason. I can’t tell you how high it is or low it is (as a priority). I don’t have the whole list yet."
That's understandable seeing as the season just ended. For Olave, he's going to be in line for a big deal. The price tags for high-end receivers aren't cheap. For example, the New York Jets inked Garrett Wilson -- who was the No. 10 pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, one spot ahead of Olave -- to a four-year, $130 million extension. Olave and Wilson's numbers so far in their careers have been eerily similar.
He already acknowledged while speaking to the media after the season wrapped up that he's open to a new deal.
"Man, it helps a lot," Olave said. "I feel like the first couple of years it was hard to be able to say that I was stable. It helps a lot with the bigger picture. It makes me want to stay here even more. I know what's going to be here with Kellen. Tyler's, like I said, a great quarterback, and that's probably the main two things you need as a receiver. So, it makes me want to get that contract done even more and hopefully it happens soon."
Now, it's a matter of letting the offseason fully get going, then making something happen. There aren't many guys out there like Olave.
More NFL: Saints Share Stance On Spencer Rattler Trade Question
More must-reads:
+
Get the latest news and rumors, customized to your favorite sports and teams. Emailed daily. Always free!