After making it clear that he wanted to remain in New Orleans, Saints wide receiver Chris Olave and the team reached a four-year extension during the first week of training camp.
Both sides remained motivated to get the deal done, finally putting pen to paper just two days into the camp practice period. Olave did hold-in for those practices in the meanwhile, but the wideout worked hard to keep any negativity at bay.
“I didn’t really want to build (any) negativity or any of that coming towards the team,” Olave said of his decision to still attend practices at a limited capacity. “I knew it was getting closer and closer. I knew we (were) coming down to it, and it was all going in the right direction at the right time.”
The four-year deal is worth up to $132 million with incentives that include marks for production and end-of-year awards. The deal, at its maximum, would make Olave the sixth-highest paid wide receiver in the league.
The base value of $124 million is a big win for the organization while still keeping its top wideout feeling appreciated.
“We kind of had to meet halfway,” said Olave. “Of course, the injuries and everything that happened. The uncertainty in the future, especially with the blood clot and concussions, we kind of met halfway.”
With multiple concussions during his NFL and collegiate tenures, health was always expected to be a major sticking point throughout the negotiations. But with that hurdle cleared, Olave can now focus on getting back to football and helping to build on the excitement around the team going into 2026.
“I feel like it’s a winning culture around here,” said Olave. “I feel like we’ve got a lot of expectations, the standard’s really high and we’re trying to build that every day. We’ve just got to take it day-by-day, but that momentum’s really great and I’m excited for it.”
Olave returned to team drill participation on Wednesday, the day after his contract was agreed upon and signed. His contract is set to keep him in New Orleans through the 2030 season with guarantees in place through 2027. Further guarantees kick in for 2028 and 2029 if he is on the roster by the third day of each season.
The contract successfully gives Olave the money and rates that he deserves, but it includes a number of avenues to continue earning new money (incentives) or further guarantees (roster and per game bonuses) by remaining healthy, available and productive.
