Chris Olave Scores A Huge Pay Day With A $132 Million Contract From The Saints

During the Drew Brees era, the New Orleans Saints were regularly among the NFL's top teams. New Orleans won Super Bowl XLIV in 2009 and reached the NFC Conference Championship Game on two other occasions. The Saints also won double-digit games nine times, and this was before the NFL added a 17th game to the schedule. But since Brees retired in 2020, the Saints haven't returned to the playoffs. In fact, the team has only had one winning season since head coach Sean Payton left after the 2021 campaign.

Despite the struggles on the field, there's room for optimism in the Big Easy. Tyler Shough showed some positive moments as a rookie quarterback, and it helps that he's throwing to Chris Olave, the team's lone All-Pro from last year.

Even before Shough ever took the field, Olave and his team were negotiating with the Saints. Both sides wanted to continue the relationship, but they couldn't quite figure out the terms. Nearly a year later, Olave and the Saints have agreed on a four-year deal worth up to $132 million, including $90 million in guaranteed money.

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Olave was planning to play this season on a fifth-year option worth about $15.4 million. This new deal more than doubles that with an average annual value of $33 million. Olave will be with the team through the 2030 season.

It's also the second-highest contract in Saints history and largest for a non-quarterback. Olave tops the then-record deal Michael Thomas signed in 2019, worth $100 million over five seasons. The Saints also gave Derek Carr a four-year, $150 million contract in 2023, though he gave up about $30 million of that when he abruptly retired in May 2025.

Olave is coming off his best season so far in the NFL. He posted career highs with 16 starts, 100 receptions, 1,163 receiving yards, and nine touchdowns.

Olave and Thomas have something else in common: They both went to Ohio State, though the Saints hope Olave's tenure after a massive contract extension goes more smoothly than Thomas's did. After leading the league in receptions in 2018 and 2019—including an NFL record 149 catches on a league-leading 1,725 yards in 2019—Thomas only caught a total of 95 passes for 1,057 yards over his next four seasons. That stretch was also marred by injuries and scuffles, including a fight with a teammate during practice.

There's no signs of that happening with Olave, of course, but football fans tend to remember things like that. For now, he's enjoying a record-setting deal as the regular season fast approaches.