New Orleans Saints wide receiver Chris Olave signed a four-year contract extension worth up to $132 million, featuring $90 million in guaranteed money. The deal secures the star wideout through the 2030 season following a career-best 2025 campaign.
The New Orleans Saints secured their young offensive centerpiece for the long term when the franchise agreed to a lucrative multiyear extension with wide receiver Chris Olave. First reported by ESPN, the four-year agreement carries a maximum value of $132 million and includes $90 million in total guarantees. The contract takes effect in 2027, bridging past his fifth-year rookie option and keeping him in New Orleans through the 2030 season.
Contract Terms and Financial Breakdown
The massive financial commitment places Ol among the league’s elite earners at his position. According to Reuters and Yahoo Sports, the deal ties Olave for the sixth-highest-paid wide receiver spot in the National Football League in terms of average annual value. That average annual value hits $33 million per year across the four-year span.
Negotiations had been moving behind the scenes for roughly a year. While Olave attended voluntary organized team activities and reported to training camp on time, he initially participated on a limited basis during the first two practices of camp to minimize exposure to injury while his agents finalized terms with the front office.
“There’s the business side and there’s the football side, obviously. And we know sometimes those two overlap. As long as we all communicate and we’re all on the same page. … We always have to remind ourselves, everyone has the same goal. Everyone’s shooting for the same things. It’s just sometimes the business side takes a little bit of a lead on this for a matter of time.”
Kellen Moore, Saints coach
Overcoming Injury Hurdles and Navigating the Market
The deal reflects a calculated risk by the Saints front office regarding Olave’s medical history. Drafted 11th overall out of Ohio State in 2022, the receiver surpassed 1,000 receiving yards in each of his first two seasons before his career hit a turbulent stretch. Olave sustained four concussions across his first four NFL campaigns, including a severe collision against the Carolina Panthers in November 2024 that resulted in a cart ride off the field on a backboard and a stint on injured reserve.
The ordeal brought the then-24-year-old receiver to a point where he seriously considered stepping away from the game before finding support among his relatives.
“My parents, my brothers, and all my close people, I felt like I leaned on them a lot, and they helped me get out of the situation.”
Chris Olave, Saints wide receiver
Health concerns resurfaced briefly when a blood clot was discovered in his lungs, sidelining him for the final game of the 2025 regular season and requiring a regimen of blood thinners. General manager Mickey Loomis noted that the medical history functioned as a variable in discussions, but emphasized that Olave was fully cleared to practice by training camp.
The agreement followed recent extensions signed by other standout wide receivers from the 2022 draft class, including Garrett Wilson with the New York Jets, Jameson Williams with the Detroit Lions, and Drake London with the Atlanta Falcons.
Breakout 2025 Campaign and Offensive Outlook
Despite playing under a revolving door of quarterbacks and three different offensive coordinators over four years, Olave delivered his most productive professional season in 2025 under head coach Kellen Moore. He started all 16 games, catching 100 passes for 1,163 yards and nine touchdowns—all career highs. His reception total made him just the second player in franchise history, alongside Michael Thomas, to reach 100 catches in a single season, earning him second-team AP All-Pro honors.
Much of that late-season momentum coincided with the emergence of quarterback Tyler Shough. The pair clicked down the stretch, connecting 18 times in Weeks 16 and 17 alone for 267 combined yards and three touchdowns against the New York Jets and Tennessee Titans. With the front office also adding running back Travis Etienne earlier in the offseason, the Saints have engineered a young, dynamic offensive foundation aimed at contending in the NFC South.
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