Chris Olave, Saints have 'clear' talks despite trade rumors
METAIRIE, La. -- New Orleans Saints wide receiver Chris Olave doesn't look at social media too often, but it doesn't mean he doesn't see things.
Trade rumors about him and running back Alvin Kamara were "all over the internet," he acknowledged last week. Olave said he understands his name will be floated out there as the trade deadline approaches on Nov. 4 due to the Saints' struggles and 1-6 record.
Olave, 25, sounded confident speaking to reporters about the possibility of sticking around New Orleans long term. Not only have he and the team been in discussions about a potential extension for several months, but the club has been connecting with him, he said Sunday.
"That's all I'm confident about. Clear communication. I see what's going on. We're on the same page," Olave said Sunday following the team's 26-14 loss to the Chicago Bears.
Saints general manager Mickey Loomis told WWL Radio on Tuesday that the team has fielded calls about a few players but did not say who.
He said any trade of a player will be decided on a case-by-case basis. "We'll look at each thing individually. We'll discuss it." Loomis said. "But I'm not in the business of trading away good players unless the deals are just too good to refuse."
The rumors compelled Brandin Cooks, who was traded away from the Saints in 2017 before returning this season, to seek out Olave to implore him to focus on himself and not the things said outside.
"And the advice is things in the front office, you can't control. It's also a compliment when teams are calling for you and willing to offer whatever the case may be, so that should give you that confidence, that boost, that you're a top dog in this league because people are calling for you. Just control what you can control, go to work, be the best you can possibly be," Cooks said.
Being the team's primary receiving target has come with its ups and downs for Olave. He went into last season trying to obtain the mindset of the Saints' No. 1 receiver when Michael Thomas was released, admitting that he wanted to work on contested catches and becoming a better blocker.
But Olave's successful moments were derailed by two documented concussions, one of which abruptly ended his 2024 season. The concussion, his fourth known one in his four-year NFL career, occurred on Nov. 3 when he was trying to go up for a pass from Derek Carr against the Carolina Panthers. Olave was crushed between two Panthers defenders, fell to the ground and did not get back up. He was placed on a backboard by medical staff and transported to the hospital and would not play again, finishing the season at eight games, two of which he played a combined 10 snaps.
Olave saw concussion specialists during that stretch as he recovered, a time in which he reflected on his future.
"We're blessed. It's not a common job. You can look at the record, you look at the negative stuff, but at the end of the day we're grateful to be healthy," Olave said Sunday. "Go out there and play for each other. I had a season-ending injury last year, so kind of changed my perspective on things. And even through the bad games, the good games, I'm just thankful to go out there and grateful to be able to have [that] opportunity."
Now that Olave is healthy again, the spotlight has been bright in 2025. He received criticism for dropping two passes in a Week 6 loss to the New England Patriots. Olave had 10 targets in that game, and he said that usage should come with a higher standard.
"I feel like they all should have [been caught]. That's how I look at it. I hold myself to the highest standards," Olave said last week. "Any ball that's in my radius, I feel like I can catch. ... At the end of the day, I feel like it's all I work for. I worked so hard to be able to be in this position, to be able to get these main targeted games. Got to take advantage of it. When the ball comes my way, I'm going to be prepared."
Olave said he believes he has hit his stride one third of the way through the season, despite those mistakes. He had one of his best games of the season against the Bears.
"He stepped up and made some great contested catches, and I know there was a lot of talk about him last week and he just showed he's still Chris, he's a dog," Saints quarterback Spencer Rattler said. "So, we rely on him a lot and [we've] got full confidence in him."
Olave had 98 receiving yards in each of his past two games and scored the Saints' only touchdowns against the Bears. One came two plays after a 57-yard bomb from Rattler in the final minute of the first half. The other kicked off the second half of the eventual loss, marking the first two-touchdown game of his career.
"CO played awesome in this game ... made some big plays downfield, the two touchdowns, the explosive play downfield, the 50-plus yarder," Saints coach Kellen Moore said. "I thought he responded really, really well."
Through seven games, Olave has 44 catches for 440 yards and three touchdowns, surpassing last season's marks of 32 catches for 400 yards and a touchdown.
But while things have started to click for him, the team has struggled in Moore's first season with one just one win through Week 7 -- the Saints' worst start since 1999. And Monday, the Saints learned they will be without center Erik McCoy and running back Kendre Miller after they suffered season-ending injuries.
The rest of season certainly won't be easy, but Olave hopes he can build on parts of the Chicago game -- for himself and the rest of the team -- as he tries to ignore the trade rumors.
"That's what I expect out of myself man. That's just what everybody expects being the type of player I am," Olave said. "So I just got to build on it at this point. It's terrible losing the game, being 1-6, but I feel like we had some good things in th,is game. I feel like we could build on that."
1 Quiet Reason the Raiders' Offense Has Struggled This Season
The Las Vegas Raiders' offense has struggled this season for various reasons, mainly subpar play along the offensive line and at quarterback. However, the lack of playmakers at skill positions, for various reasons, have held the Raiders' offense back.
Raiders Rookies Must Improve
The Raiders invested a second-round pick into drafting Jack Bech, proving how much they believed in him before he ever put a Raiders jersey on. However, Bech must do his part and work through the growing pains only the Raiders' coaching staff knows about.
Bech and Dont'e Thornton were brought in to be two of those playmakers but have yet to make much of an impact. Bech's lack of playing time on an offense in desperate need of help at wide receiver speaks volumes about where Las Vegas' coaching staff believes he is developmentally.
“The more plays that we can log with the new guys, Jack [Bech] and Dont'e [Thornton Jr.], we can show them the things that they need to improve on and the things that they're not quite as sharp on. It helps them. And there's some pain in that too. There's some pain in there that we have to undergo. But it's how you do it,” Carroll said.
“By the time you get to the middle of the season, these guys should have things really cleaned up, and they should be ready to go and we can count on them and they can come through and not be error repeaters, you know? And that's what we're working hard at."
During the Bye Week, Raiders' Wide Receivers Coach Chris Beatty gave an update on the development of both of Las Vegas' wide receivers. If the Raiders can get Bech and Thornton up to speed quickly, it could alleviate some of the issues they are having on offense.
"Some ups and downs. We have got to be more consistent. Both of those guys are learning a lot. Theres good and bad in everything. First couple of games, Dont'e had an explosive play in every game," Beatty said.
"He has kind of fell back a little bit and some of the fundamentals, we have got to continue to build on. Same thing with Jack. They have done okay but there is a lot more out there. So, we will keep pushing them and getting the most out of them."
