Saints sign Chris Olave to a four-year extension

Olave missed time during the offseason program while on blood thinners that were prescribed to treat a blood clot found in his lung at the end of the 2025 season. The fact that he wasn’t ready for the start of camp initially seemed concerning, but Moore made it relatively clear that health isn’t an issue. Olave is set to play out the final year of his rookie deal in 2026 and is more than deserving of a new contract. Coming off his second 1,100-yard season in the past three years, the Saints will likely find the money necessary to keep him around long-term before the start of the season.

Olave was on blood thinners after a blood clot was discovered in his lung prior to Week 18, and had been taking them throughout the offseason program. That’s all done. It’s hard to call Olave “safe” to draft due to the long-term concussion issues he’s dealt with, but he’s as good as he’s going to be. Olave said he felt a contract extension was going to happen “soon” in June, so that’s probably the next tidbit of news incoming on him before the season. Loomis said when asked of an extension that “We’re just not there yet” but “we want to get it done.”

Underhill compared Tyson’s best routes with Shough’s highest-targeted areas of the field and declared, “it’s the same diagram.” Coincidentally, Tyson’s route tree closely overlaps with that of No. 1 WR Chris Olave. Underhill believes that this dynamic will allow coach Kellen Moore to use Tyson and Olave interchangeably. They will both line up in the perimeter and in the slot. Underhill believes Olave will remain the team’s top pass catcher “for the near future,” but eventually both he and Tyson will work as two “top receivers.” Tyson missed most of spring practices with a hamstring injury, but Underhill said he will not worry about the issue unless Tyson misses training camp. Underhill closed the segment by saying a 55/700/5 receiving line on 90 targets is a “safe projection” for Tyson’s rookie season, though he believes Tyson is capable of doing more. The “safe” stat line equates to 155.0 PPR points and would have made him the WR40 last season.

Olave has been on blood thinners after a blood clot was discovered in his lung prior to Week 18 of last season, restricting the alpha wide receiver to individual drills up to this point in the offseason program. The good news is that he’s reportedly set to get off blood thinners in less than two weeks, after which he will look to gain clearance to return to unrestricted football activities. The veteran wide receiver is set to play the 2026 season on the fifth-year option of his rookie contract, making the coming season of utmost importance to his future in New Orleans.

As a result, Olave has been held out of team drills thus far. Olave has reportedly looked great in individual drills, but apparently, he still has some limitations. His camp is also currently attempting to negotiate a long-term extension with the Saints’ front office. He said recently that he believes the two sides will come to an agreement before training camp begins next month. Olave largely assuaged health concerns by remaining active for much of the 2025 season and finishing sixth in the NFL with 151 targets. Hopefully, he can put this issue behind him soon enough. When the blood clot was initially discovered, New Orleans Football’s Nick Underhill reported that the blood clot was “caught early before anything bad could happen” and that he will “be fine.” Olave showed up to offseason workouts in great shape, so it does not appear as though he was limited by the blood clot during the offseason.

Olave is currently set to play 2026 on the fifth-year option, but the two sides have been rumored to be in extension discussions for a while. “I feel like we’re going to come down to that before training camp,” Olave said. The Saints haven’t exactly been in a rush to settle their in-house contract issues this offseason, with Alvin Kamara also sort of dangling in the void.

Olave is up to about 200 pounds, but expects to lose five pounds during training camp. Saints QB Tyler Shough said Olave looks “better than I’ve ever seen him,” noting Olave maintained his speed and change of direction despite his increased size. Head coach Kellen Moore noted Olave’s physical transformation as well, saying Olave has had an “awesome” offseason. Olave, 25, is due for a contract extension with one year remaining on his rookie deal, but he believes it will be handled soon and is “not really worried about it.” He’s a fantasy WR1 in an ascending offense.

The complicating factor about Olave is his concussion history, which leads Paras to believe the Saints are interested in paying Olave and taking on some risk, “but not all of it.” It’s possible this hinges on the guaranteed money as much as the salary. Nine receivers currently make at least $30 million a season, so it’s a reasonable target for Olave despite the receiver missing nine games in 2024 due to concussions.

Olave is in the fifth and final year of his rookie contract and coming off a season in which he went for 100-1,163-9 while appearing in 16 games. Olave has played in 15 or more games in three of his four years in the league, and bounced back nicely after playing in just eight games in 2024. The unquestioned WR1 for the Saints should secure a long-term extension before the new season, and will be in the high-end WR2 mix for fantasy managers in 2026.

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