NFL Injury Updates: Seahawks, Packers, Olave, Hall
Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold heads into Week 18 with a game that could cement his team as the No. 1 seed in the NFC for the second season in a row. According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, he’s also looking to earn up to $1.5MM in incentives by throwing for at least 150 yards and three touchdowns and raising his passer rating (99.2) to 100. Unfortunately, he’ll be doing so without a few key pieces.
Starting left tackle Charles Cross has missed each of the team’s last two games, and according to Bob Condotta of The Seattle Times, he’ll be out for Week 18, as well. Backup swing tackle Josh Jones has played well in Cross’ absence these past two weeks and will be relied upon again in a winner-take-all matchup with the 49ers.
Curtis Crabtree of FOX Sports adds on that, although rookie fifth-round receiver Tory Horton is eligible to be activated off injured reserve, he is not expected to play again this season. The shin injury that’s kept him out since early November has likely ended his rookie campaign. Head coach Mike Macdonald told reporters, “The best way I can describe it is just, what he has, it just takes a long time to heal…we’re not planning on having him.”
Here are a few other injury updates from around the NFL:
- Packers head coach Matt LaFleur gave updates on the two defensive backs recently placed on injured reserve earlier this week. Both safety Zayne Anderson and cornerback Nate Hobbs suffered injuries in the team’s home loss to Baltimore. According to Matt Schneidman of The Athletic, LaFleur told the media that he didn’t anticipate either player being able to return in time for the playoffs, so both players were put on IR to make room on the 53-man roster for players who can contribute in the postseason.
- Saints wide receiver Chris Olave was a surprise scratch for the team’s regular season finale. According to Nick Underhill of NewOrleans.Football, a blood clot was detected in Olave’s lung, though it was caught early, “before anything bad could happen,” and the 25-year-old will be fine. ESPN’s Adam Schefter added that Olave has no prior history with blood clots and that the injury should sideline him for about four weeks before he’ll be ready for any offseason activities.
- The Bills are locked into a wild card slot in the playoffs, though their exact seeding is still up in the air. They should have a fairly easy Week 18 matchup against a tanking Jets team, but they’ll be going into it without rookie defensive tackle Deone Walker, per Alaina Getzenberg of ESPN. A fourth-round pick out of Kentucky, Walker has stepped up as a starter for nearly all of his rookie year as Ed Oliver, T.J. Sanders, Jordan Phillips, Larry Ogunjobi, and DaQuan Jones have all missed time at different points of the year.
- Speaking of the tanking Jets, already without quarterback Justin Fields and wide receiver Garrett Wilson, New York has also now ruled out running back Breece Hall, according to Schefter. This means Hall may have already played his final game in a Jets uniform, as the 24-year-old is set to hit free agency at the end of the season. According to Rich Cimini, also of ESPN, the Jets are expected to at least attempt to retain him, but Hall may be tempted to test the market. Cimini doesn’t rule out that franchise/transition tags may enter the picture. With all the absences on offense, the Jets starting group will be led by Brady Cook at quarterback, Khalil Herbert and Kene Nwangwu at running back, and John Metchie III, Adonai Mitchell, and Isaiah Williams at receiver. Per Cimini, starting cornerback Brandon Stephens will miss the Jets’ final game of the season, as well.
- The Ravens have a win-or-go-home game tomorrow night against the division-rival Steelers, but they will be heading into the matchup without wide receiver Rashod Bateman after ruling him out for the weekend. Bateman missed practice all week with illness and will not travel to Pittsburgh.
Saints WR Chris Olave Contemplated Retirement During 2024 Offseason
The 2024 season saw Chris Olave suffer a pair of concussions. He has dealt with at least four over the course of his NFL career, one which began in 2022. 
Olave was sidelined for the Saints’ final eight games last season after suffering his latest concussion. Consultation with specialists took place and the former first-rounder managed to return to practice late in the campaign, but he did not see any game action. During the offseason, Olave thought about hanging up his cleats.
“It was a tough time last year,” the fourth-year wideout said (via ESPN’s Katherine Terrell). “I was only 24 years old, contemplating retirement, especially with the head injuries, but I prayed about it… I just gave it another try, another chance. And it’s been a great year.”
Indeed, Olave has managed to play in all 15 games for New Orleans in 2025. He has set new career highs in receptions (92) and touchdowns (eight). The Ohio State product could also record a new personal best in yardage, having topped 1,000 for the third time. A continued spell as the Saints’ focal point on offense could be in store if an extension is reached; talks on that front have taken place since at least the start of the campaign.
For now, Olave is on track to collect $15.49MM in 2026 on his fifth-year option. A trade to a contending team was a talking point leading up to the deadline, but like Alvin Kamara Olave expressed a desire to remain in New Orleans. The team wound up retaining both of them and dealing Rashid Shaheed to the Seahawks as a rental. Adding at the receiver spot could therefore be an offseason priority, but Olave’s healthy campaign should set him up for a new Saints pact.
New Orleans has won three straight games, and the combination of first-year head coach Kellen Moore and rookie quarterback Tyler Shough has shown encouraging signs in recent weeks. Olave figures to remain a key presence on offense for at least 2026, but his decision to continue playing has him positioned for a spell with the Saints spanning beyond that point.
No Trades Imminent For Saints WRs Rashid Shaheed, Chris Olave
Entering today’s action at 1-7, the Saints could stand to sell at the upcoming trade deadline. It remains to be seen if they will do so, but for now it does not appear as though any major moves are forthcoming. 
[RELATED: Saints To Start Tyler Shough Through Remainder Of Season]
New Orleans’ receiver tandem of Chris Olave and Rashid Shaheed has drawn significant interest recently, and the latter represents a logical candidate to be dealt. New Orleans is open to moving on from Shaheed, a pending free agent, but a drop in asking price would likely be needed for that to take place. The team has already reportedly requested a third-round pick from an AFC suitor.
No movement on the Shaheed front has taken place, while an Olave extension remains a possbility. Jeff Duncan of NOLA.com confirms the trade markets in both cases have been “tepid” up to this point. It would come as a surprise if a buyer were to part with a Day 2 selection for a rental, although there is of course precedent in that regard. In any event, Duncan predicts there will not be any substantial deals finalized over the next few days.
There are several other Saints players who could be on the radar of contending teams ahead of the deadline. According to Duncan, though, there has been “little interest” shown in New Orleans’ veterans. A swap involving the likes of running back Alvin Kamara or defensive end Cameron Jordan would be surprising, but Brandin Cooks represents an experienced option who would be affordable. No stranger to being dealt, Cooks is attached to a 2025 salary of just $1.26MM and with a small portion of his scheduled compensation for next guaranteed he could easily be cut after the campaign by any acquiring team.
It will be interesting to see if teams which bow out of the Shaheed sweepstakes turn their attention to Cooks as a fallback WR option prior to Tuesday afternoon’s deadline. Failing a move along those lines, it could very well prove to be a quiet deadline for the Saints.
Bills Rumors: Defensive Tackles, Olave
Although the Bills pulled off a dominant 40-9 win against the Panthers last week, they didn’t escape Carolina unscathed. The Bills lost their top defensive tackle and one of their most important players, Ed Oliver, to a torn biceps. In a best-case scenario, Oliver will return sometime during the postseason. That’s assuming the 5-2 Bills, who trail the division-leading Patriots in the AFC East, earn a playoff berth.
Oliver’s injury was the latest (and costliest) shot to the interior of the Bills’ defense. They were already thin at D-tackle before Oliver went down. DeWayne Carter suffered a season-ending torn Achilles in the preseason, T.J. Sanders went on IR with a knee injury on Oct. 11, and DaQuan Jones will miss his third straight game Sunday with a calf issue.
With two starters (Oliver and Jones) and a pair of reserves (Carter and Sanders) unavailable, fourth-round rookie Deone Walker, Larry Ogunjobi, and Jordan Phillips are the only healthy tackles on the Bills’ active roster. Zion Logue, who has already received the maximum of three standard gameday elevations this year, and Phidarian Mathis represent experienced options on the practice squad. Either could play in this week’s all-important clash with the Chiefs, though the Bills will have to sign Logue to their active roster if they plan on using him.
Thanks to their injury woes at the position, the Bills are “taking a hard look at what’s out there at defensive tackle,” Albert Breer of SI.com writes. The Jets’ Harrison Phillips (a former Bill) and the Browns’ Maliek Collins have been mentioned as potential fits for Buffalo.
Tuesday’s trade deadline is fast approaching, leaving Bills general manager Brandon Beane little time to find outside help to improve his team’s last-ranked run defense. The Bills also have other areas to address – including at wide receiver and safety – and under $2MM in available cap space. It’s a less-than-ideal situation for Beane.
In clear need of an upgrade at boundary receiver, the Bills have recently inquired about the Saints’ Chris Olave, Dianna Russini of The Athletic reports. However, Russini is the latest to note that the Saints are expected to retain Olave, who’s under team control through 2026 on a fifth-year option. Barring a 180 from the Saints, Olave teaming with Bills quarterback Josh Allen looks unlikely to happen.
Saints Could Trade WR Brandin Cooks; Latest On WRs Chris Olave, Rashid Shaheed
The 1-6 Saints have looked like sellers at this year’s trade deadline for weeks, and GM Mickey Loomis is indeed receiving calls from other clubs. Players like wide receivers Chris Olave and Rashid Shaheed, running back Alvin Kamara, defensive ends Cameron Jordan and Carl Granderson, linebackers Demario Davis and Pete Werner, cornerback Alontae Taylor, and offensive lineman Dillon Radunz have all been named as possible trade candidates.
Add WR Brandin Cooks to that list. Sources tell ESPN’s Adam Schefter that Cooks is a player who could be on the move, which Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network confirms.
Cooks, 32, is no stranger to trade rumors. As Rapoport observes, the former first-round pick of the Saints would set an NFL record if he is dealt again. Cooks has been traded four times already, which is tied with Kiko Alonso and Eric Dickerson for the most in league history.
A 2014 draftee, Cooks spent the first three years of his career in New Orleans before being traded to the Patriots. After just one season in Foxborough, the Pats sent Cooks to the Rams, who dealt him to the Texans two years later. He stayed with Houston for three years and was traded to the Cowboys in 2023.
Despite the nomadic career, Cooks has been quite productive, posting five seasons with over 1,000 receiving yards and earning over $123MM along the way. He circled back to the Saints this offseason on a two-year, $13MM deal, which includes a modest $1.26MM salary in 2025. An acquiring club would only be responsible for the prorated portion of that amount, and just $1.69MM of Cook’s 2026 pay is guaranteed, so his contract is eminently movable.
Per Rapoport, there is mutual interest in a trade. When Cooks rejoined New Orleans, he still believed Derek Carr might be his quarterback. With Spencer Rattler at the controls, Cooks has generated just 14 catches for 127 scoreless yards.
Of course, that is not entirely Rattler’s fault. Cooks’ production naturally has been trending downwards as he has gotten older, and he has not recorded a 1,000-yard season (or anything particularly close) since 2021. Olave, Shaheed, Kamara, and tight end Juwan Johnson have all earned substantially more targets in 2025 than Cooks, who has just 18 through seven games.
A WR-needy team could nonetheless see Cooks as a useful and attainable complementary addition to its pass-catching contingent. He surely will not cost as much to acquire as Shaheed, for whom Schefter says New Orleans is seeking a third-round pick (despite the Saints’ predictable public stance that they are not interested in trading any of their wideouts).
The Saints do appear likely to keep Olave in the fold (as is the case with Kamara). Under club control through 2026 by virtue of his fifth-year option, Olave wants to stay in New Orleans, and player and team have been discussing an extension.
Dianna Russini of The Athletic (subscription required) confirms the Saints are unlikely to trade Olave. The receiver himself said the two sides are “on the same page” in their contract negotiations, per Schefter.
Saints Interested In Chris Olave Extension
OCTOBER 19: In response to Russini’s report yesterday making movement towards an Olave extension seem like breaking news, Olave himself seemed to indicate that this is not new information. According to ESPN’s Katherine Terrell, Olave claimed that the two sides have “been having conversations since…the beginning of the year.”
OCTOBER 18: Saints wide receiver Chris Olave has been part of trade speculation leading up to the Nov. 4 deadline. Olave said earlier this week that he’d like to stay with the Saints, though, and he may get his wish. New Orleans is trying to sign Olave to a contract extension, Dianna Russini of The Athletic reports.
As a former first-round pick, Olave’s rookie contract comes with a fifth-year option. The Saints exercised Olave’s option last spring, meaning they don’t have to worry about losing him to free agency until after 2026. He’s due to earn $15.49MM next season.
The fact that Olave comes with a season and a half of team control undoubtedly helps add to his appeal for teams seeking help at receiver before the deadline. It should also up his trade value from the Saints’ point of view. As it stands, the 1-5 Saints have just five picks in next year’s draft. Dealing Olave would likely add to the total.
While Olave has already amassed 230 catches and 2,907 yards at the age of 25, there are red flags with the former Ohio State Buckeye. After combining for 159 receptions during back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons to begin his career, he missed nine games last year as a result of two concussions. Olave has come back this season to record team highs in catches (39) and targets (64) with quarterback Spencer Rattler at the helm, but he has averaged a personal-worst 8.8 yards per reception (down from a career 12.6).
The 11th player off the board in 2022, Olave has seen the 10th and 12th selections (also receivers) from that draft class sign extensions. After a wildly productive first three seasons, former Olave college teammate and current Jet Garrett Wilson inked a four-year, $130MM deal with $90MM guaranteed last July. Shortly before the season began, the Lions signed Jameson Williams to a three-year, $83MM pact with $67MM guaranteed.
If he lands an extension, Olave won’t come close to the mammoth Wilson contract. On the other hand, based on his superior career production, he at least has a case to approach Williams’ deal.
Williams played in 18 games in his first two seasons and caught just 25 passes. He missed four games in his second year a result of a gambling suspension. The former Alabama standout enjoyed a breakout 2024, grabbing 58 of 91 targets for 1,001 yards and seven touchdowns. However, he did miss two games because of a PED suspension. Despite two suspensions, Williams secured a lucrative payday with only 83 receptions, 1,396 yards, and seven scores on his resume over 33 games.
Thanks largely to his off-field issues, the Lions took a risk in locking up Williams. Considering his recent problems with concussions, the Saints would be doing the same in Olave’s case. With Olave tied to his fifth-year option, general manager Mickey Loomis isn’t under any immediate pressure to either extend or trade the wideout. Nevertheless, Olave will remain a name to watch as the deadline draws closer.
Alvin Kamara, Chris Olave Reiterate Desire To Stay With Saints
With the Saints currently sitting at the bottom of the NFC, many of the teams veterans have been popular names in trade rumblings. The most notable of those players is Alvin Kamara, who recently stated his desire to stick in New Orleans for the rest of his career. In fact, the star running back even hinted that he’d retire instead of joining a new squad.
[RELATED: Saints Unlikely To Trade Alvin Kamara]
That report from this past weekend mentioned that general manager Mickey Loomis approached Kamara about a potential change of scenery. However, the running back told reporters today that no conversation took place, and it’s understood within the organization that the player will be staying put.
“Yeah, I don’t know where that [came from],” Kamara said (via ESPN’s Katherine Terrell). “We talked about [the report] and we was looking at each other like the little Spider-Man meme: ‘Did you say something? Did I say something?’ I don’t know where that came from, but I think I’ve been vocal enough that … I don’t want to go anywhere.”
Kamara also told reporters that he’s been apart of rumors “for years” and doesn’t focus much on the reports. At the same time, the two-time All-Pro acknowledged that it’s a “business” and he doesn’t “really know what happens up” in the front office. The 30-year-old is under contract through the 2026 season, although only $3MM of next year’s salary is guaranteed. For what it’s worth, Kamara’s deal doesn’t include a no-trade clause.
While Chris Olave‘s name hasn’t been connected to any definitive reports, the receiver has also been included in trade speculation. The former first-round pick said that someone within the organization even addressed the rumblings with him, and the player understands that the rumors are simply part of playing in the NFL.
“That’s part of the business, man,” Olave said (via Terrell). “It’s been like that all year, in the offseason. Even right now, I ain’t really been on social media, but I know it’s cooking right now that we’re 1-5. So, there’s always rumors, the internet trying to always create some buzz. But I had a conversation with the people in the building so I’m very confident.”
Browns, Steelers Inquired About Saints’ Chris Olave
The Browns and the Steelers both reached out the Saints regarding the availability of wide receiver Chris Olave this offseason, according to Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer.
New Orleans rebuffed those overtures and doubled down on their commitment to the 2022 first-rounder by picking up his fifth-year option. That will keep Olave under contract through the 2026 season, during which he will earn a fully-guaranteed $15.5MM.
Cleveland and Pittsburgh have both been active in the wide receiver trade market over the last few years. The Browns brought in Amari Cooper in 2022 and Jerry Jeudy in 2024. (Cooper was later traded to the Bills at last season’s trade deadline.) The Steelers, meanwhile, sent a second-round pick to the Seahawks to acquire D.K. Metcalf this offseason and sent George Pickens to the Cowboys earlier this month.
Installing a new coaching staff tends to lead to player turnover as the roster is evaluated for fit with the incoming scheme. Between that and Olave’s down year in 2024, the Browns and the Steelers may have thought they could swoop in for a bargain.
However, the Saints declined to engage in trade talks for the 24-year-old wideout. That could be because new head coach Kellen Moore and offensive coordinator Doug Nussmeier see a major role for Olave in their passing attack. It could also be due to Olave’s lower trade value coming off a 400-yard season after he eclipsed 1,000 yards in each of his first two.
Picking up Olave’s fifth-year option indicates that the Saints believe he can bounce back in 2025, though he will have to adjust to a new coaching staff and a new quarterback, likely rookie Tyler Shough. If Olave returns to his top-25 production, he should be in line for an extension with a substantial raise next offseason.
2026 NFL Fifth-Year Option Tracker
NFL teams have until May 1 to officially pick up fifth-year options on 2022 first-rounders. The 2020 CBA revamped the option structure and made them fully guaranteed, rather than guaranteed for injury only. Meanwhile, fifth-year option salaries are now determined by a blend of performance- and usage-based benchmarks:
- Two-time Pro Bowlers (excluding alternates) will earn the same as their position’s franchise tag
- One-time Pro Bowlers will earn the equivalent of the transition tag
- Players who achieve any of the following will receive the average of the third-20th-highest salaries at their position:
- At least a 75% snap rate in two of their first three seasons
- A 75% snap average across all three seasons
- At least 50% in each of first three seasons
- Players who do not hit any of those benchmarks will receive the average of the third-25th top salaries at their position
We covered how last year’s Pro Bowl invites affected the 2022 first-round class. With the deadline looming, we will use the space below to track all the 2026 option decisions from around the league:
- DE/OLB Travon Walker, Jaguars ($14.75MM): Exercised
- DE/OLB Aidan Hutchinson, Lions ($19.87MM): Exercised
- CB Derek Stingley Jr., Texans ($17.6MM): Extended through 2029
- CB Sauce Gardner, Jets ($20.19MM): Exercised
- OLB Kayvon Thibodeaux, Giants ($14.75MM): Exercised
- T Ikem Ekwonu, Panthers ($17.56MM): Exercised
- T Evan Neal, Giants ($16.69MM): Declined
- WR Drake London, Falcons ($16.82MM): Exercised
- T Charles Cross, Seahawks ($17.56MM): Exercised
- WR Garrett Wilson, Jets ($16.82MM): Exercised
- WR Chris Olave, Saints ($15.49MM): Exercised
- WR Jameson Williams, Lions ($15.49MM): Exercised
- DT Jordan Davis, Eagles ($12.94MM): Exercised
- S Kyle Hamilton, Ravens ($18.6MM): Exercised
- G Kenyon Green, Eagles* ($16.69MM): Declined
- WR Jahan Dotson, Eagles** ($16.82MM): Declined
- G Zion Johnson, Chargers ($17.56MM): Declined
- WR Treylon Burks, Titans ($15.49MM): Declined
- T Trevor Penning, Saints ($16.69MM): Declined
- QB Kenny Pickett, Browns*** ($22.12MM): Declined
- CB Trent McDuffie, Chiefs ($13.63MM): Exercised
- LB Quay Walker, Packers ($14.75MM): Declined
- CB Kaiir Elam, Cowboys**** ($12.68MM): Declined
- G Tyler Smith, Cowboys ($20.99MM): Exercised
- C Tyler Linderbaum, Ravens ($20.99MM): Declined
- DE Jermaine Johnson, Jets ($13.92MM): Exercised
- LB Devin Lloyd, Jaguars ($14.75MM): Exercised
- DT Devonte Wyatt, Packers ($12.94MM): Exercised
- G Cole Strange, Patriots ($16.69MM): Declined
- DE George Karlaftis, Chiefs ($15.12MM): Exercised
- DB Dax Hill, Bengals ($12.68MM): Exercised
- S Lewis Cine, Vikings: N/A
* = traded from Texans on March 11, 2025
** = traded from Commanders on August 22, 2024
*** = traded from Eagles on March 15, 2024; traded from Steelers on March 10, 2025
**** = traded from Bills to Cowboys on March 12, 2025
Saints To Exercise Chris Olave’s Fifth-Year Option, Decline Trevor Penning’s
The Saints maneuvered to make two first-round picks in 2022. One has worked out, the other has not. As a result, Mickey Loomis said Wednesday the team will only pick up one fifth-year option from that first-round haul.
Chris Olave‘s contract will now run through 2026 (via NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport), but Trevor Penning will be thrown into a contract year by virtue of New Orleans declining his fifth-year option.
Yet to make a Pro Bowl, Olave has also seen his 2025 concussion issues impede him on the fifth-year option front. The Ohio State product failed to hit a 75% snap share in his first two seasons, but had he played at least 50% of New Orleans’ offensive snaps last year, he would have still found his way onto the third tier on the option structure. By missing nine games in 2024, Olave will land on the bottom tier here. That will place his 2026 base salary at $15.49MM.
Penning also lands on the bottom tier, which is $16.69MM for offensive linemen. Considering Penning’s uneven first three seasons, he was never a realistic candidate to see his option exercised. While Loomis stressed (via NewOrleans.football’s Mike Triplett) this does not mean the Saints do not have confidence in their 2024 right tackle starter, this does move him into a walk year.
Chosen out of Northern Iowa, Penning has been tried at LT and RT. The Saints displaced him from the blind side by drafting Taliese Fuaga in last year’s first round. While Penning did bounce back from 2022 injury trouble and a 2023 benching to make 17 RT starts, he has not justified the Saints’ No. 19 overall investment.
As the Saints are being connected to another first-round tackle pick — as they consider acquiring a quarterback in Round 2 or a via a trade-up move from that No. 40 spot — they will hope Olave and Rashid Shaheed can stay healthy in 2025. Olave has shown difference-making potential when on the field, working with Andy Dalton and Derek Carr. The 2022 No. 11 overall pick, who acquired two trades to land that year, posted back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons to start his career but sustained two concussions last year. This shut down Olave to close what turned into a lost Saints season.
The young WR talent spoke with specialists, and the Saints exercising his option points to organizational confidence he can shake this concerning issue. The Saints may be on the lookout for more receiving help in the draft, but they did reunite with Brandin Cooks in free agency. Olave will be asked to lead the team’s first Kellen Moore-overseen receiving corps, with Cooks and Shaheed in clear supporting roles.