What’s Holding Up Saints–Chris Olave Extension Talks

It's very difficult to find a clear-cut No. 1 wide receiver in the National Football League.

Now, of course, every team has wide receivers at its disposal. But there are very few that fit the description as a clear-cut, No. 1 playmaker. Fortunately, the New Orleans Saints are a team that can make a claim like that. New Orleans has Chris Olave and should do everything possible to keep him in town as long as possible.

Olave is currently under contract for the 2026 season on the fifth-year option of his rookie deal with a salary cap hit just over $15.4 million. After the 2026 season, Olave is scheduled to head to free agency, but there have been reports out there that the two sides have been discussing a potential long-term contract extension. Olave has said himself this offseason that he's open to a new deal and that the stability of having Tyler Shough under center helps with that. But nothing has gotten done yet. Matthew Paras of The Times-Picayune and The Advocate reported that the reason why a deal hasn't gotten done yet, of course, is the price tag.

The Saints star should be a priority right now

Tennessee Titans cornerback Kemon Hall (40) reacts as New Orleans Saints wide receiver Chris Olave (12) brings in a touchdown during the third quarter at Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tenn., Sunday, Dec. 28, 2025. | Andrew Nelles / The Tennessean / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

"No surprise here, but the reason the Saints and Chris Olave have yet to lock up an extension appears to be that the sides don’t agree on the price tag," Paras wrote. "Only three receivers average more than $35 million per year, but nine make at least $30 million. The Saints haven’t entirely balked at the latter range but don’t appear to have gotten there quite yet.

"And the guarantees are especially relevant to these talks. Despite Olave playing 16 games last year without suffering a brain injury, the wide receiver’s concussion history potentially complicates the negotiation. The Saints are willing to take on some risk to pay Olave, but not all of it. Regardless of whether a deal with Olave gets done before the season, the Saints want to add another body at his position."

The tidbit that stands out from Paras' reporting was the fact that he said New Orleans "haven’t entirely balked" at the price tag and instead, the two sides just haven't gotten to something that works for both sides yet. Olave is coming off a season in which he was an All-Pro and had 100 catches for 1,163 yards. That's the type of production you need to keep in the building. With the price tag for wide receivers going up, as shown by Jaxon Smith-Njigba's four-year, $168 million mega deal, if the Saints could get Olave on a deal in the neighborhood of $30 million per year, that would be completely fair.

Talks haven't worked out yet, but hopefully that will change soon.