Saints' Brandin Cooks gave Chris Olave advice amid trade rumors

In March 2017, wide receiver Brandin Cooks was traded by the New Orleans Saints to the New England Patriots. Thus, Cooks knows a little bit about what teammate and fellow New Orleans wideout Chris Olave is going through amid rumors suggesting the Saints could deal Olave before the Nov. 4 trade deadline. 

On Wednesday, Katherine Terrell of ESPN shared that Cooks recently offered Olave advice regarding how to handle being mentioned in trade-related discussions during the season. 

Chris Olave should view trade chatter as a "compliment"

"And the advice is things in the front office, you can't control," Cooks explained. "It's also a compliment when teams are calling for you and willing to offer whatever the case may be, so that should give you that confidence, that boost, that you're a top dog in this league because people are calling for you. Just control what you can control, go to work, be the best you can possibly be."

Olave hinted last week that he and the Saints had spoken about extending their working relationship. However, that was before New Orleans fell to 1-6 on the campaign. Olave is under contract through the 2026 season, so it's reasonable to think the rebuilding Saints would at least explore acquiring draft assets for the 25-year-old. 

Per Terrell, Saints general manager Mickey Loomis said during a Tuesday appearance on New Orleans' WWL Radio that he is "not in the business of trading away good players unless the deals are just too good to refuse." Such a comment could lead one to believe Loomis will take calls about Olave's availability. 

The Patriots, Pittsburgh Steelers, Kansas City Chiefs, Denver Broncos and Washington Commanders are among the noteworthy teams that could use help at wide receiver. The New York Giants were previously linked with Olave but have since fallen to 2-5 on the season. 

Why Chris Olave feels "blessed" despite uncertainty 

A 2022 first-round draft pick, Olave has suffered four reported concussions as a pro. Thus, it's understandable he's simply grateful to be playing for any team this fall. 

"We're blessed," Olave recently said. "It's not a common job. You can look at the record, you look at the negative stuff, but at the end of the day we're grateful to be healthy. Go out there and play for each other. I had a season-ending injury last year, so kind of changed my perspective on things. And even through the bad games, the good games, I'm just thankful to go out there and grateful to be able to have [that] opportunity."

As of Wednesday morning, Olave was on track to feature for the Saints in their home game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (5-2) Sunday. On Wednesday, ESPN BET had New Orleans as a 3.5-point underdog for that contest.