Saints WR Chris Olave Still Recovering From Blood Clot
Saints wide receiver Chris Olave missed the end of the 2025 season due to a blood clot in his lung. His original return timeline was four weeks, but more than six months later, he has yet to complete his recovery.
Olave has not participated in team drills during New Orleans’ offseason practices, per Matthew Paras of The Times-Picayune. He has been present at OTAs – notable since he and the Saints are in the middle of contract negotiations – but the team is giving him a long runway to ramp up his involvement. Clubs are generally cautious about player injuries during the offseason, especially with a highly dangerous medical issue like a blood clot, especially when there is big money involved.
Olave, 24, has two years left on his rookie contract and is due $3.33MM this season and a $15.49MM fifth-year option in 2027. That is not the money the Saints are looking to protect. They want to ensure a long-term investment in their star wideout – which could include $100MM or more in guarantees – rewards them with several years of high-level play. Continuing a gradual ramp-up process may be ideal for both Olave’s health and financial security.
The Saints have also been cautious with several members of their rookie class. First-round receiver Jordyn Tyson is still dealing with the lingering hamstring issue that plagued him during the pre-draft process. He was a limited participant at OTAs, per Mike Triplett of NewOrleans.Football, along with second-round defensive tackle Christen Miller and fifth-round safety Lorenzo Styles. Head coach Kellen Moore revealed that fourth-round tight end Oscar Delp, who was also limited, is dealing with a hamstring injury of his own.
WR Chris Olave Expects To Sign Saints Extension Before Training Camp
Chris Olave has been a participant in Saints OTAs with extension negotiations ongoing. GM Mickey Loomis has expressed optimism that an agreement will be reached, and that feeling is mutual.
As things stand, Olave is a pending 2027 free agent. He is currently set to play on his $15.49MM fifth-year option, while a long-term commitment would carry a much larger price tag. No extension has been signed yet, but Olave believes one will be finalized in the near future.
“I feel like we’re going to come down to that before training camp,” the soon-to-be 26-year-old said (via Ben Dackiw of WBRZ). “I hope we do, so we don’t affect the chemistry going into training camp, but I think it’s going to get done soon.”
Injuries in general, and concussions in particular, represented a potential cause for concern in Olave’s case after he was limited to just eight games in 2024. He managed to avoid any lengthy absences last season, however. That allowed him to set a new career high in catches (100), yards (1,136) and touchdowns (nine) in 2025. A substantial raise will no doubt be in store in the event Olave and the Saints manage to work out a new pact.
New Orleans’ receiver room has lacked depth for much of Olave’s tenure in the league, and the team traded away Rashid Shaheed ahead of the 2025 deadline. Adding a wideout early in the draft was known to be a Saints priority, so it came as no surprise when Loomis and Co. elected to take Jordyn Tyson eighth overall in April’s event. Even with the Arizona State product now in the fold, Olave will be counted on to remain a focal point on offense this season and well into the future provided a long-term agreement can be reached.
The Saints have moved on from several veterans this offseason, something which has cleaned up their cap outlook to a large extent. Affording a big-money Olave investment should be feasible, and it appears as though an extension will likely be on the books in time for this summer.
Saints GM Mickey Loomis Addresses Chris Olave Extension Talks
Earlier this spring, it was learned extension negotiations were underway between Chris Olave and the Saints. No deal has been struck yet, but team and player are looking to finalize an agreement.
When speaking about the status of contract talks, general manager Mickey Loomis said (via ESPN’s Katherine Terrell), “obviously we’d love to have something done sooner than later and I’m sure Chris would as well, but we’re not there yet.” It will be interesting to see if progress can be made in the near future.
Loomis added (via Terrell) Olave has frequently been around the team with talks going well so far. That certainly suggests an agreement will be in place prior to training camp this summer. As things stand, Olave is a pending 2027 free agent since he is set to play on his fifth-year option. The Ohio State product is due $15.49MM in 2026.
Any long-term pact will no doubt cost more. The top of the receiver market moved to $42.15MM when Jaxon Smith-Njigba inked his Seahawks extension. Olave will not be expected to reach that figure on a second Saints contract, but 15 wideouts currently average between $20MM and $30MM annually. A pact toward the more lucrative end of that range could be feasible for Olave, who is approaching his age-26 season.
New Orleans has relied heavily on the former No. 11 pick since his arrival. Olave has been targeted at least 119 times in three of his four NFL seasons. The lone exception was 2024, a campaign in which injuries limited him to eight games. Olave previously gave thought to retirement in the wake of his concussion history, but he managed to return to full health and reprise his role as a focal point on offense this past season. Even with first-round rookie Jordyn Tyson in the fold, Olave will be counted on to remain a 1,000-yard producer well into the future provided an extension gets worked out.
The Saints find themselves in much better financial shape than previous years with respect to contract flexibility. New Orleans is currently projected to have roughly $49MM in cap space in 2027, a figure which should make an Olave raise viable. If positive indications continue to emerge in this case, news of an agreement could be coming shortly.
Saints Eyeing EDGE-Based Trade-Up?
APRIL 23: NFL insider Jordan Schultz echoes the idea that New Orleans will be a team to watch regarding a move up the top-10 order. After the Jets make their selection at No. 2, it will be interesting to see how willing teams like the Cardinals are to work out a Saints swap.
APRIL 22: Mickey Loomis has made some memorable moves to climb up draft boards during his 23 years overseeing the Saints’ war room, and the longstanding GM is back on the radar for another such move.
The Saints have been mentioned as a team to monitor with regards to trading up for an edge rusher, according to NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport, who names Arvell Reese as a specific player to watch — should he make it past the Jets. The Cardinals have shown steady interest in trading down from No. 3, and Daniel Jeremiah’s final 2026 mock has Arizona dealing that pick to New Orleans and moving down five spots.
[RELATED: Saints Open To Trading Spencer Rattler?]
New Orleans traded its 2023 first-round pick in a package to move up for Chris Olave in 2022, doing so before making a second trade to climb up the board for Olave. Four years earlier, Loomis and Sean Payton traded their 2019 first-rounder to move back into Round 1 for Marcus Davenport. The team traded up for linebacker Stephone Anthony in the 2015 first round, doing so after already taking Andrus Peat.
The Saints climbed up (via the Cardinals) from No. 27 to No. 20 for Brandin Cooks in 2014. The Saints traded their 2012 first to the Patriots to select Mark Ingram in the 2011 first round, moved up three spots for defensive end Sedrick Ellis in 2008 and climbed up three spots for tackle Jammal Brown in 2005. Loomis’ first draft as GM (2003) involved another trade-up with the Cardinals, who slid down 11 spots to give the Saints access to D-tackle Johnathan Sullivan.
Not all of these moves worked out, certainly, with Sullivan and Anthony becoming busts quickly. But Loomis — who does not appear to be on the hot seat despite a five-year playoff drought — has not traded down in a first round. The Saints have been linked to a wide receiver in Round 1, being previously mentioned as the floor for Ohio State’s Carnell Tate at No. 8. But Olave’s likely extension may be influencing the NFC South club here. The Saints are more likely to address their receiver issue on Day 2, according to EssentiallySports.com’s Tony Pauline.
The team has told agents it did not want to overinvest at receiver this offseason, per Pauline. While a rookie contract would complement a $30MM-plus-AAV Olave accord, the Saints also may be leery of sacrificing other areas to add a No. 2 wideout. The position has long been mentioned as a target in this draft; it just may not happen until Round 2.
One of them may be edge rusher. The team has not re-signed Cameron Jordan and could use help opposite Chase Young, where longtime sidekick option Carl Granderson resides at age 29. Granderson is under contract for two more years, but the Saints’ annual restructure frenzy has his cap number set to climb from $9.47MM this year to $20.92MM in 2027.
Reese might not cost what a quarterback would in a trade-up scenario, but if he makes it past the Jets at No. 2, teams will be calling. That could be an opportunity for the Cardinals to move down, though they have been linked to Jeremiyah Love in recent days. The Jets may also be coming around on Reese at 2, though Jeremiah still has David Bailey going to New York there. It is not known if the Saints view Bailey — a more polished pass-rushing prospect than Reese, a hybrid LB — as worthy of a trade-up, but Loomis’ history advises fans to not rule out a climb up the board early.
Extension Talks Ongoing Between Saints, WR Chris Olave
Jaxon Smith-Njigba recently reset the receiver market with his new Seahawks deal. One of his former college teammates may soon land a second contract of his own.
Saints head coach Kellen Moore said on Monday at the league meeting that extension talks with Chris Olave are ongoing. The sides have discussed a long-term deal as early as the start of the 2025 campaign. This offseason represents a logical time for an agreement to be reached, though.
“There’s conversations and that’s what this time of year is all about,” Moore said (via NOLA.com’s Matthew Paras). “That’s obviously the business side of this thing that inevitably comes up… It’s just about a working relationship for everyone, what works best for everyone and find a good situation.”
Olave has spent his first four seasons in New Orleans. During that time, he has topped 1,000 yards on three occasions. The one exception was 2024, a year in which the Ohio State product was limited to eight games. Due to his concussion history, Olave contemplated retirement following that season. Instead, he managed a healthy campaign this past year and set new career highs in receptions (100), yards (1,163) and touchdowns (nine) while thriving in Moore’s system and establishing chemistry with rookie quarterback Tyler Shough.
All three will remain in place for at least one more season, since Olave is owed $15.49MM in 2026 on his fifth-year option. The Saints elected to trade away Rashid Shaheed at the deadline this past fall in a move which allowed for draft compensation in exchange for a pending free agent. Olave was mentioned as a trade target as well, but it came as little surprise when he was retained. Committing to the 25-year-old coming off a healthy season would be an understandable move in New Orleans’ case.
Smith-Njigba reached $42.15MM per season on his Seattle extension. Olave is not in position to command a deal as lucrative as that, but a considerable raise will be in order if an agreement can be reached some time this offseason. As the Saints seek out additions at the WR spot, the progress of negotiations on this front will be worth monitoring closely.
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.