Chris Olave’s Next Snap Could Cost the Saints Millions

The New Orleans Saints already have had to make a handful of contract decisions this offseason but there's another one that is going to come up quickly.

Wide receiver Chris Olave had a rough 2024 season due to injuries. There's no other way around that fact. It just wasn't his year. Before that, though, he looked like one of the NFL's best young receivers. In his first two seasons, Olave had 159 receptions, 2,165 receiving yards, and nine touchdowns in 31 games played. That's elite production, especially as a first and second-year player in the NFL.

The third year didn't go as planned, though.

In the NFL, a trend has emerged with players getting long-term extensions earlier in than in prior years. For example, the New York Jets gave out extensions this offseason both to Garrett Wilson and Sauce Gardner, who were in Olave's draft class.

Wilson is the guy to specifically watch. He landed a four-year, $130 million deal with the Jets.

Through their first two seasons, Olave and Wilson were more similar than you'd think. Wilson had 178 catches, 2,145 receiving yards, and seven touchdowns in 34 games played -- three more than Olave.

Olave's injury-riddled 2024 season certainly impacted the possibility to get some sort of long-term deal done, but his future remains the Saints' biggest question, per Bleacher Report's Moe Moton.

"New Orleans Saints: WR Chris Olave," Moton said. "Recently, the New York Jets may have created some urgency for the Saints to sign their lead receiver to an extension during the upcoming campaign.

"Like Jets wideout Garrett Wilson, Olave racked up at least 1,042 receiving yards in 2022 and 2023, but he missed nine games because of injuries last season. Olave wasn't on pace for another 1,000-yard campaign, but he saw a spike in his catch rate (72.7 percent) despite the team's unsettled quarterback situation. Unquestionably New Orleans' go-to target in the aerial attack, he will soon be one of the highest-paid receivers if he stays healthy this year."