Olave spoke candidly about his desire to prove his worth.
New Orleans Saints wide receiver Chris Olave spoke to the media following the opening day of training camp on Tuesday, where he was asked about the prospect of signing a long-term extension with the franchise.
After the Saints exercised the fifth-year option on his rookie deal, Olave is currently under contract through 2026.
“Of course, I want to stay here for a long time,” said the former first-round pick out of Ohio State. “I’m not really looking at it right now. I feel like I gotta prove myself to be able to get that type of money.”
Olave’s 2024 season was cut short after a concussion suffered in Week 9, the second of his season and fourth of his NFL career. He’s yet to play a full 17 games in a single season as he enters his fourth professional campaign.
“I’m not worried about it, I know it’s going to come,” he said of a potential extension. “So, like I said, just trying to make it obvious on the field every day, trying to dominate everybody, be the best player on the field and go into the season and try to play every game.”
As for what he hopes that will mean for the Saints: “It’s going to be easy for them to make that decision when we get to the table.”
Photo by Derick E. Hingle/Getty Images
There appears to be a great deal of mutual interest from both the organization and the player when it comes to signing a long-term extension.
Despite his health struggles, the wideout’s young career has been remarkably productive. He hauled in more than 1,000 receiving yards in each of his first two seasons in the black and gold, to go along with 13.4 yards per catch for his career.
Olave is the player many are most excited to see in a Kellen Moore offense; his dynamic skillset promises no shortage of opportunity in the Saints’ new system.
A mixture of health and production will no doubt amalgamate into a big contract for Olave, though he’s made it clear he wants to make it happen on the field before entering into discussions with the Saints.
What do you make of Olave’s comments? What do you expect to see from him this fall, and what might you want an extension to look like? Let us know in the comments below!