Few players around the NFL have been involved in as much trade speculation this offseason as the New Orleans Saints' Chris Olave.
With the Saints seemingly headed in the wrong direction, Olave would be their biggest trade prize if they held a fire sale. The 24-year-old former first-round pick already has two 1,000-yard receiving seasons under his belt, though he was limited to eight games because of a brutal concussion this past year.
The Saints picked up Olave's fifth-year option before the May 1 deadline, but that hasn't prevented other teams from checking in on his availability. Per SI's Albert Breer, the Pittsburgh Steelers and Cleveland Browns were both shot down by New Orleans earlier this offseason.
So it seems as though the Saints are committed to not trading Olave. Is there any reason not to extend him instead?
Dylan Sanders of Saints Wire doesn't believe so. In a Wednesday article, Sanders urged New Orleans to get a deal done with Olave to keep him in New Orleans beyond his rookie contract, which expires after the 2026 season.
"Now that (Olave) is healthy again, it is clear that he is the top option in the offense and he has the chance to earn a lot of money if he has a good year with the young quarterback room in New Orleans," Sanders wrote.
"His fifth-year option has already been picked up, but the Saints should be working on a longer-term extension past the 2026 campaign. It's important to give their young quarterbacks targets that can get open, Olave is that and much more."
Olave's career trajectory is not only in flux because of his concussion history, but because we have no idea what to expect from his quarterbacks. Rookie Tyler Shough might become an above-average starter, but he's also older than Olave and only started one season in college, so that's tough to project.
It would be entirely understandable if the Saints wanted to commit to Olave now. But that's only one piece of the puzzle for a roster with a lot of question marks.
