No one would have looked sideways at New Orleans Saints wide receiver Chris Olave had he skipped voluntary offseason workouts searching for a big-money contract extension. Instead, the second-team All-Pro has participated in the sessions, including OTAs.
Olave was asked last week whether he considered staying away as a deal was being worked out.
"I'm committed to winning, first of all, and I feel like I'm a team player," Olave said, via WWL Radio. "The contract is a whole different side of the game. It's the business side."
The commitment from a player who has experienced one winning campaign in four and never made the postseason still comes with an expectation that a new deal is around the bend. He would like it done before training camp in July.
"I feel like we're going to come down to that before training camp," Olave said, hoping to avoid more holdout chatter later this summer. "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."
Olave enters the fifth and final year of his rookie contract and is set to earn $15.493 million in 2026.
The Saints have spoken optimistically about getting a deal done with Olave, but have yet to lock down the former first-round pick up long-term. It feels, at this point, less like an "if" question and more about when the deal is consummated and how much it costs.
The wide receiver market is booming, with Jaxon Smith-Njigba resetting the top of the position at $42.15 million per season. Ten wideouts make more than $30 million. Where does Olave land in that stretch? Boasting three 1,000-plus yard seasons in four campaigns, Olave is a playmaking talent with smooth route-running ability that allows him to beat any coverage. He's a legit No. 1 in a growing offense. However, he has had injury concerns, never playing 17 games in a season, and has never earned a Pro Bowl nod.
Regardless of where the sides settle, it's clear that Olave has earned his payday, and the Saints, with the addition of first-round rookie Jordyn Tyson, want to keep him around to grow with quarterback Tyler Shough and the rest of Kellen Moore's offense.
"I think more than anything it just shows he wants to be here," Shough said of Olave's work this offseason. "He wants to work hard. He's doing that every single day. He likes being around the guys and I think he's just such a value to this team that everybody understands and I think that's just part of the business side of it. That happens, but more than anything, it shows how much he loves it here."
