Kansas City Chiefs Linked to Saints WR Chris Olave as Trade Talks Intensify
Heading into Week 4, the Kansas City Chiefs are averaging 24.3 points per game, which is ranked 14th in the league. They’re also netting around 221.8 passing yards per game, which slots them in the top half (12th) among teams.
Patrick Mahomes and company have been solid, but not dominant. Would adding a player with the skill set of, say, Chris Olave to the team’s wide receivers room be the catalyst the offense needs to take things to the next level?
As it turns out, Olave may very well be available soon. The Saints are 0-4 under first-year head coach Kellen Moore, and there’s talk of a fire sale soon.
According to Nick Underhill of New Orleans football.com, “there are teams interested in some of the Saints‘ veteran players and they’ll be watching to see who becomes available in the coming weeks, league sources tell me. There’s a feeling around the league that New Orleans will be open to hearing offers in the coming weeks.”
Kansas City Chiefs Mentioned as Potential Trade Fit for WR Chris Olave
More on What Makes Olave Such an Intriguing Potential Addition
The Saints exercised Olave’s fifth-year option, keeping him under team control through 2026 at an option value of roughly $15.5 million. That’s not bad money for a player of his ilk.
A former No. 11 overall pick, the 6-foot, 187-pound WR had two 1,000-yard seasons over his first two years, and he has a track record of producing even when quarterback play is uneven. He posted 72 catches for 1,042 yards and four touchdowns as a rookie (2022) and followed with 87 catches for 1,123 yards and five scores in 2023.
After an injury-shortened 2024 (eight games, 400 yards), he’s opened 2025 with 26 catches for 185 yards and a score through four games. Imagining how he’d flourish in Kansas City with Mahomes should intrigue Chiefs Nation.
Stylistically, he’s a near-perfect fir for Andy Reid’s offense. Olave has legit vertical speed (he ran a 4.39 40-yard dash at the combine), and coupled with his comfort working both outside and in the slot, he would fit beautifully in Reid’s three-by-one and four-strong concepts that stress the heck out of opposing safeties.
It’s true Worthy flashed in his Week 4 return after dealing with injury, but adding a true WR1-caliber route runner would give Kansas City the three-level threat it hasn’t consistently had since the Tyreek Hill era. Just check out Olave’s toe-drag swag:
So, what might it cost Kansas City to land him? If New Orleans keeps sliding, the market dynamics (number of suitors, etc.) could well determine whether the Chiefs get seriously involved. It would likely take a first-or second-round pick to acquire Olave, so we’ll see if that’s too much for Brett Veach.
Payton & Nix Comments Could Foreshadow a Big Courtland Sutton Day in Philly
Veteran wide receiver Courtland Sutton's importance to Denver Broncos quarterback Bo Nix was reflected in the four-year, $92 million extension he received this past summer. Their chemistry together has paid off in back-to-back games.
The Broncos' undisputed No. 1 receiver has delivered big numbers, grabbing 11 balls for 199 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Sutton made a huge difference-maker against the Cincinnati Bengals last week, excelling as a big-bodied go-to guy who comes down with the ball in the red zone.
Sutton is a bona fide X-factor, impressing Broncos head coach Sean Payton. Sutton offers Payton a deep bag of tools to go to in the red zone.
“He has a handful of his traits, relative to how he prepares, is fantastic. He’s strong with strong hands in traffic, and in the red zone, there’s generally traffic," Payton said of Sutton. "So it favors certain players, and then there’s certain players maybe it doesn’t favor as much. He’s one of those guys, and we’ve seen a number of times it’s kind of covered, traffic, and yet he can high-point a ball and catch it properly.”
Sutton uses his total package of physical abilities to outmuscle defenders for scores in the red zone, which was on display on Monday night in his touchdown just before the half against the Bengals.
Sutton paid the price physically, as he landed heavily on his back in the end zone, but his quarterback fully appreciates the selfless and clutch receiver he has at his disposal.
“It’s great. He’s an experienced guy who understands defenses, understands space and time," Nix said about Sutton on Thursday. "He’s got great body control. When one-on-one, you can literally throw it up to him. You feel comfortable that he is going to come down with it, but he’s just wise beyond his years. He allows us to scheme him up. He’s a smart football player, and I mean, he’s proven it time and time again. He forces teams to really take him away, and it’s our job to get him open.”
Scheming to get Sutton open when the Broncos' offense is under the shadow of the goalposts will be more difficult against Vic Fangio's defense this Sunday in Philadelphia. If the .500 Broncos are going to take down the currently
Sutton will be the major focal point for the Broncos' passing offense when they get inside the 20-yard line, so he knows that doing his homework will make all the difference when his number gets called.
“What they do well in the field is just amplified. I was just talking to someone earlier today about how when Coach [Vic] Fangio was here, that was one thing that if we were not statistically in a high category anywhere else in terms of team stats, red zone defense was always something he did a really good job at," Sutton said on Thursday. "I think it’s the way he coaches it. He’s a really good teacher... It will be on us to make sure that we are sound in our technique, our execution, the game plan, and going out there and taking advantage of the opportunities that come when they do come. They do a really good job of making sure they are sound in that part of the field.”
One of the most compelling subplots on Sunday will be how Fangio tries to nullify the Nix-to-Sutton connection. Fortunately, everyone within the Broncos' inner circle has gotten the memo.
Game on.
