NFL Mock Trade: Saints Land Talented WR to Pair with Chris Olave

The New Orleans Saints' front office is entering the offseason with a top priority: adding weapons to complement quarterback Tyler Shough, wide receiver Chris Olave, and the rest of the Saints offense.

Olave, 25, posted career-highs in receptions (100), receiving yards (1,163), and receiving touchdowns (9) in year four. The 2022 first-round pick meshed well with Shough over the final three games of the season, connecting for 352 yards and four touchdowns.

As teams game-plan to play the Saints in 2026, they will try to stop the Shough-Olave connection, but if New Orleans pulls off this recent mock trade from Bleacher Report, it would be more difficult than expected to stop the duo.

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Should the Saints take a flyer on Brandon Aiyuk?

Oct 20, 2024; Santa Clara, California, USA; San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk (11) walks on the field before the start of the game against the Kansas City Chiefs at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images | Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images

"Brandon Aiyuk's stock has dipped after a major knee injury that cost him the 2025 season and a well‑documented rift with the 49ers over his contract, so some teams might be hesitant to pursue him," Alex Ballentine of Bleacher Report noted.

"The Saints haven't traditionally been a team scared off in these situations," Ballentine said.

So, what would a trade for the 27-year-old receiver look like?

Ballentine projected that New Orleans would need to part ways with their 2026 sixth-round pick (No. 189) and a 2027 conditional Day 3 pick.

Aiyuk signed a four-year extension worth $120 million with the San Francisco 49ers in 2024 training camp, though he only played seven games on the new deal before tearing his ACL. He didn't play at all in 2025 for a multitude of reasons, including a dispute with the team about making a return from the injury.

Still with three years remaining on his initial extension, New Orleans would be acquiring a significant salary, though there's a potential out in the deal after the 2026 season.

When healthy, Aiyuk asserted himself as one of the top receivers in the league, most recently catching 75 passes for 1,242 receiving yards and seven touchdowns in 2023.

As Ballentine noted, the Saints are no strangers to acquiring players with character and injury concerns. New Orleans most recently signed pass-rusher Chase Young to a one-year deal in 2024 after the former No. 2 pick dealt with previous injuries and effort questions.

The deal with Young paid off for both parties, as he stood out on the field and New Orleans rewarded him with a three-year extension worth $51 million last offseason.

While the Aiyuk trade would be a gamble, the Saints should consider acquiring him, especially if they want to form one of the NFL's most talented wide receiver tandems.

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