10
Loading video...
By Rowan Fisher-Shotton
0
Share
Newsweek is a Trust Project member
See more of our trusted coverage when you search.Prefer Newsweek on Googleto see more of our trusted coverage when you search.
Is Tyler Shough the New Orleans Saints' long-term answer at quarterback? Is Travis Etienne truly an elite RB1? Can Cesar Ruiz hold down the starting right guard spot over incoming rookie Jeremiah Wright? There are plenty of players around New Orleans with real questions to answer in 2026. But the one under the most pressure is wide receiver Chris Olave.
Olave is entering the final year of his rookie contract, playing on a fifth-year option worth $15.5 million, and a strong season should set him up for a big second contract. He just had the best year of his career, posting 1,163 receiving yards and nine touchdowns on 100 catches — all career highs — and he earned second-team All-Pro honors for the first time in his career.
Those are legit WR1 numbers, but talent has never been the concern with Olave. The bigger question hanging over him is durability. He dealt with at least four known concussions in his first three years in the league, including one as a rookie in 2022, another in 2023, and then two more in 2024, the second of which ended his season after just eight games.
Read More on NFL
Say what you will, but that's a genuinely alarming pattern for a player who only just turned 26.
More news: Los Angeles Chargers Player Facing the Most Pressure in 2026
...
More news: Tennessee Titans Player Facing the Most Pressure in 2026
Olave missed just one game in 2025, when doctors discovered a blood clot in his lung, forcing him to sit out for the team's final Week 18 matchup against the Falcons. Still, questions linger.
Olave was on blood thinners after the clot was discovered, limiting his participation in contact drills this offseason, though he's reportedly off them now and cleared for training camp. Still, the concussion history alone means he'll always carry a slightly higher risk than most receivers.
And New Orleans doesn't appear willing to gamble on that. The team used the eighth overall pick in this year's draft to take Arizona State's Jordyn Tyson, arguably the best wide receiver in the 2026 class.
Olave will still open as the team's unquestioned WR1, and 2025 showed he can be an elite wideout in the NFL. But if he battles injury again — whether from a concussion or something entirely new — the Saints already have his replacement in the building.
2026 is shaping up to be a massive season for Olave to put all of the injury concerns to rest and earn himself a lucrative second contract.
More news: Baltimore Ravens Player Facing the Most Pressure in 2026
View 0 Comments
Submit Correction
View Editorial & AI Guidelines