One of the New Orleans Saints storylines going into the training camp season is star WR Chris Olave’s contract extension. He has one more year on his deal, but all other WRs from his class (that deserve an extension) have gotten deals with their teams. With Olave’s injury issues throughout his career, discussions were going to take longer, but the longer it lasts, the more expensive the contract is going to get. After the recent news, the price rose even further.
Yesterday, the Atlanta Falcons extended
WR Drake London, who was selected three picks before Olave. The extension was $35.25M per year, the highest in the 2022 draft class (previously held by Garrett Wilson, who was selected the pick before Olave and was given $32.5M per year).
Before this deal was made, the contract to compare what Olave could get was Garrett Wilson’s. Both players dealt with injuries, have been on struggling teams, were the clear WR1, and were selected back to back in the draft. It made sense if Olave got more than that, but London’s contract now changes everything. There is a real thing when talking about division rivals trying to one-up each other.
The Saints are now going to want to pay Olave more than London, and Olave’s agent will demand that because his client has played better than London so far in the NFL.
A new minimum has been set.
