Saints' Chris Olave reveals timeline for possible contract extension
Article excerpt
Saints wide receiver Chris Olave said he's in active talks with the team about a contract extension, though no deal is imminent. Olave, who signed a four-year, $61.9 million rookie deal in 2022, has emerged as one of the NFL's top receivers and is eligible for a new agreement. The timing and structure remain unclear, but both sides appear motivated to reach terms. Olave's comments suggest negotiations are progressing smoothly rather than contentious, a sign the star pass-catcher and New Orleans want to stay together.
Saints' Chris Olave reveals timeline for possible contract extension originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The New Orleans Saints have made a lot of investments in the offense this offseason, adding David Edwards and Travis Etienne Jr. in free agency and drafting Jordyn Tyson, Oscar Delp, and a few other receiver options in the 2026 NFL Draft.
All of those moves are made with the intention to help Tyler Shough develop into a true starting quarterback in the NFL. He showed potential in 2025 and hopefully will make a leap in 2026. Chris Olave is a big factor in Shough making such a jump.
With a contract extension and potential holdout looming later this season, the Saints and Olave must work something out. Fortunately, Olave revealed a timeline for an extension to WLL Radio recently that should be welcome news for Saints fans.
Saints' Chris Olave reveals extension timeline
"I feel like we're going to come down to that before training camp," Olave said on his contract extension talks with the Saints. "I hope we do, so we don't affect the chemistry and stuff going into training camp, but I think it's going to get done soon."
Signing Olave to a long-term deal has been something the Saints have been working on for a while now. While he's dealt with injury issues in the past, Olave is more than worth investing in, as he's a superstar when healthy.
Last season with Shough and a few weeks of Spencer Rattler, Olave caught 100 passes for 1,163 yards and nine touchdowns.
After Shough took over partway through Week 8, Olave caught 56 of 85 targets for 723 yards and six touchdowns. That's a 17-game pace of over 1,300 yards, 11 touchdowns, and 105 receptions.
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Olave is worth a lot of money, and after Drake London just signed a massive $141 million contract over four years, the benchmark for an Olave extension is known.
While he might not reach top-five wide receiver money, his new deal should be at least $30 million per-season, which is well worth it for a true No. 1 WR like Olave.
It's going to be expensive, but with a quarterback on a rookie contract, now is the time to spend a bit on someone like Olave.
Heading into the final year of his rookie contract, the Saints are trying to extend Olave. And based on these comments from Olave, it looks like an extension might get done soon, leading up to Saints training camp this summer.
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