The New Orleans Saints have been in some surprising trade rumors over the last week or so.
Chris Olave is one of the top young receivers in football and rumors started to pick up steam that the Pittsburgh Steelers are interested in a potential trade. While this is the case, it’s not going to happen.
PennLive.com's Nick Farabaugh weighed in on the trade rumors, and noted that a deal isn't going to happen. While this is the case, he also shared what he heard that the price tag would be for Olave if some sort of deal came together.
"The New Orleans Saints do not want to trade star wide receiver Chris Olave," Farabaugh said. "Of course, the Pittsburgh Steelers inquired about Olave, which caused some buzz on Friday, but two sides must be willing. Sources tell PennLive that New Orleans does not seem interested in trading Olave. A trade is unlikely despite the Steelers’ interest in the 24-year-old wide receiver.
"The trade cost for Olave would not be light, either. League sources had a consensus that it would take at least a day-two pick, likely a second-round pick, for the Saints to part ways with Olave before his fourth season, if they even considered trading him. Given the Saints have no reason or desire to move Olave, the cost is likely higher than that. Olave is coming off a season in which he played just eight games due to concussions. That variable has to be factored into any trade discussions, but he had two 1,000-yard seasons before that."
It doesn't seem like Olave is going anywhere despite the recent trade buzz. It hasn't stopped writers and analysts alike to make mock drafts involving him. They can be pretty much disregarded at this point.
Who says no to a Chris Olave trade?
The New Orleans Saints. That’s who says no. It would take a ridiculous offer for the Saints to part ways with their top wide receiver. Nothing is impossible. It would just take an offer to blow the Saints away for this to happen. I mean, they did trade prime Jimmy Graham to the Seattle Seahawks.
It shouldn’t be doubted Steelers are interested in acquiring Olave. It wouldn’t even be surprising to know the call actually happened. Pittsburgh traded for D.K. Metcalf and traded away George Pickens. The latter move seemed to be more about a frayed relationship, but it led to a need in the wide receiver room.
The Steelers will just have to look elsewhere for a new wide receiver. Penn Live's Nick Farabaugh shut down the notion of the trade going through. Farabaugh reported the Steelers did call New Orleans, but his sources categorized it as "a due diligence call."
Olave is a clear part of the Saints future
Olave is clearly the top receiving threat on the Saints, and will be in New Orleans for the long haul. New Orleans has done nothing to signal they're starting from scratch, so why would they trade their best receiver? Even the move to Tyler Shough, or another young quarterback, in 2025 was Plan B after Derek Carr's sudden retirement.
In 2025, expect Olave to be the focal point of the passing attack and possibly the focal point of the offense. The most important obstacle for Olave is injuries. He missed most of the year due to concussions.
When on the field, Olave will give an inexperienced quarterback a reliable target to look for. Not only is Olave crucial to the offensive success, he's also critical to the development of the Saints quarterback of the future.
