Fourth-year New Orleans Saints wide receiver Chris Olave is coming off a career season, logging 100 receptions for 1,163 yards and 9 touchdowns. Olave started the year off slowly. While getting plenty
of targets, he failed to reach 100 receiving yards in a game until Week 10, and the big plays were missing from his game.
It wasn’t until the New Orleans Saints decided to move on from standout wide receiver Rashid Shaheed and start rookie quarterback Tyler Shough that we saw Olave become the receiver we knew him to be. Since Week 10, the former first-round pick has brought in 45 receptions for 603 yards and 7 touchdowns, averaging 86.14 yards and nearly a touchdown per game in that span.
Olave and Shough built a connection, and as they played more together, their chemistry grew. As Olave played his final three games of the season, he and his rookie quarterback were on fire. Shough and Olave connected for 352 yards and 4 touchdowns over Olave’s last three games of the season.
Now, for the Saints, it’s time to pay their playmaker. Olave is entering his final year under contract for New Orleans after they picked up his fifth-year option, and with the trade of Rashid Shaheed, it’s clear the Saints are committing to the 2022 first-round pick. Two first-round wideouts from Olave’s rookie class have already received extensions, with Garrett Wilson agreeing to a four-year $130 million contract with the New York Jets and Jameson Williams getting a three-year $83 million extension with the Detroit Lions.
Olave and division rival Drake London are now the lone receivers from the first round of the 2022 draft class to not receive an extension while with the team they were drafted by. So what would an extension for Olave look like?
It’s important to focus on what Olave has done so far with New Orleans. In his four seasons, Olave has logged three 1,000-yard seasons, with his lone 400-yard season being cut short due to injury. In comparison, Jets receiver Garrett Wilson, who signed a $130 million deal, has also logged three 1,000-yard seasons in his four years. While Wilson did agree to his deal before the 2025 season, when he went 3/3 on the 1k-yard mark to start his career, he is the best comparison for Olave.
The ceiling for wide receiver contracts is Cincinnati Bengals’ Ja’Marr Chase, who received a four-year $161 million contract in 2025. While this is a steep payday, Chase has been the league’s top receiver since joining the NFL. A realistic floor for Olave is fellow 2022 draftee Jameson Williams, who is on a 3-year $83 million contract. While in a different role, Williams has put up similar numbers to Olave, but isn’t the team’s WR1 and plays more in a gadget role.
Olave is likely to seek a contract similar to Garrett Wilson, but there are a few road bumps in the way. The fourth-year wideout has a history with injuries, specifically surrounding his head. Olave has yet to play a whole 17-game season, and while getting close twice with 16 games played, the amount of injuries has become a concern. The former Ohio State wideout came out after his success in 2025 and mentioned his contemplation on retirement after his 2024 season where he suffered two head injuries, with one sidelining him for the second half of the season.
Olave’s injury history is the biggest fork in the road for his extension, especially surrounding guarantees. While he did play 16 games in the 2025 season without a football injury, he missed the final game of the season due to being sidelined with a blood clot in his lungs. While an unusual injury, it isn’t expected to have any lasting affects and shouldn’t hinder his chances at a contract.
With all the factors out the way, we can now look to predict what Olave’s extension could look like. While I think the Wilson contract is the best comparison, I don’t think the Saints agree to a four-year extension, and rather work towards a three-year extension. New Orleans may juice up the money slighlty in this case, but also stay cautious of the guarantees. So a new deal with Olave could be a three-year extension worth $100m, with $67 million in guarantees.
While a steep payday, this contract puts Olave as the fifth-highest paid receiver in the league, behind Ja’Marr Chase, Justin Jefferson, CeeDee Lamb, and D.K. Metcalf. The wide receiver market is heavy and everchanging. It will be a while before a receiver challenges Chase’s $40.25 million per year, with the nearest option being Puka Nacua, but Olave is sure to get paid. With his consistency since entering the league, the lone reliable wideout on the team, and a young quarterback undercenter, now would be the time for New Orleans to pay Olave.
