The New Orleans Saints closed the 2025 season with an up-and-coming offense and took a major step Thursday toward securing its young core for the long term. The team agreed to a four-year contract extension with wide receiver Chris Olave worth up to $132 million, his agents told ESPN. Olave's deal includes $90 million guaranteed.
The Saints already picked up the fifth-year option on Olave's rookie contract, so the new deal will take effect in 2027 and keep the former first-round pick in New Orleans through the 2030 season.
Since arriving in New Orleans as the No. 11 overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, Olave has done nothing but shine as the leader of the receiving corps. He topped 1,000 receiving yards in each of his three healthy seasons and was on pace to do so in 2024 before missing nine games because of multiple concussions.
Olave's injury history is effectively the only knock against him as a rising star. He suffered four concussions in his first four NFL seasons, raising concerns about his long-term future. The Saints appear willing to take on that risk, making him the sixth-highest-paid wide receiver in the NFL.
NFL's highest-paid WRs
| Player | Team | AAV |
|---|---|---|
$42.2 million | ||
$40.3 million | ||
$35.3 million | ||
$35.0 million | ||
| CeeDee Lamb | Cowboys | $34.0 million |
Chris Olave | Saints | $33.0 million |
Olave's production remained consistent despite constant change on offense. In just four years with the franchise, he has played under three different offensive coordinators and two full-time head coaches while catching passes from a revolving door of quarterbacks that included Andy Dalton, Derek Carr, Jameis Winston, Spencer Rattler, Jake Haener and, most recently, Tyler Shough.
It was with Shough that Olave and the Saints built momentum at the end of the 2025 season. While it took a few weeks for everything to click, New Orleans won four of its final five games, and the Olave-Shough connection went wild in Weeks 16 and 17. The two connected 18 times over those games as Olave totaled 148 yards and two touchdowns against the New York Jets, then added 119 yards and another score against the Tennessee Titans.
By season's end, Olave had set career highs in receiving yards (1,163) and touchdowns (9). He also became just the second player in Saints history, joining Michael Thomas, to record at least 100 receptions in a season. The Ohio State product earned second-team All-Pro honors for his performance.
In addition to securing Olave's reliable presence in the receiving corps, the Saints signed free agent running back Travis Etienne earlier in the offseason to add another weapon to what is quickly becoming a promising offense. The pressure Etienne and Olave take off Shough's shoulders could help him make a leap as a second-year quarterback. If that happens, New Orleans should be in the mix for a division title in the wide-open NFC South.
