No one would have looked past New Orleans Saints wide receiver Chris Olave had he skipped free agency in the offseason in search of a big-money contract extension. Instead, the second-team All-Pro has participated in the meetings, including OTAs.
Olave was asked last week if he was considering staying away as deals were finalised.
“I’m determined to win first and foremost and I feel like I’m a team member,” Olave said via WWL Radio. “The deal is a whole other side of the game. It’s the business side.”
The commitment from a player who has experienced one winning campaign in four and never made the postseason still comes with the hope that a new contract is on the way. He wanted it done before training camp in July.
“I feel like we’re going to find out before training camp,” Olave said, hoping to avoid more talk later this summer. “I hope we do, so we don’t affect the chemistry and stuff going into training camp, but I think it will be done soon.”
Olave is entering the fifth and final year of his $15.493 million rookie contract.
The Saints have spoken optimistically about getting Olave to a deal, but have yet to lock up a long-term first-round pick. It feels, at this point, less like an ‘if’ question and more about when the deal is done and how much it costs.
The wide receiver market is booming, with Jaxon Smith-Njigba resetting the top spot at $42.15 million per season. Ten films gross more than $30 million. Where does Ólafur end up on that path? Olave boasts three 1,000-plus yard seasons in four campaigns and is athletic with a smooth driving ability that allows him to beat any coverage. He’s a legitimate No. 1 in a rising offense. However, he has had injury concerns, has never played 17 games in a season and has never earned a Pro Bowl nod.
Regardless of where the teams settle, it’s clear that Olave has earned his payday, and the Saints, along with rookie Jordyn Tyson, want to keep him around to grow with quarterback Tyler Shough and the rest of Kellen Moore’s offense.
“I think it shows more than anything that he wants to be here,” Shough said of Olave’s work this season. “He wants to work hard. He does that every single day. He likes being around the guys and I think he’s just such an asset to this team that everybody understands and I think that’s just part of the business side of it. It happens, but more than anything, it shows how much he cares here.”