"Hell naw," Olave said, laughing. "My people were not cool with it. They've seen me do that a couple of times, and they know it's nothing to play with — especially post-football. They were just looking out for me, trying to make sure I'm good. They kept asking me if I still want to play, telling me I'm going to be straight whether I play football or not. They were just looking out for me as a person.
"Mom was going crazy. Pops was cool. He's more just trying to be there for me outside of football, make sure I'm doing things — hobbies and all that stuff."
But that doesn't mean his father, Raul, initially felt comfortable with his return to football.
"When he got the concussion, nobody was in Carolina. So that was tough," Raul said. "I jumped on the next flight from San Diego to New Orleans. My first thought was: retire."
It took the steady reassurance of specialists to quiet his family's fears.
"When he got the first concussion, I really wanted him to go see a specialist and he was like, 'Aw, dad, we'll see one after the season, I promise,'" Raul said. "Then, when he got the (Carolina) one I was like, 'Nah, that's it. I can't let you get back on the field until we talk to somebody.' So, that's when we ended up going to Pittsburgh to see a concussion specialist and a brain specialist.
"Going there, my intention was for him to not play football anymore. But they pretty much reassured me, showed me all the CAT scans and all of that, showing me that he wasn't at any major risk right now. Me and his mom, it made us feel a lot better for him to continue on with his career."
For the teammate who likely is his closest friend in the locker room, Olave's wishes were the only ones that mattered.
Cornerback [Alontae Taylor](/team/players-roster/alontae-taylor/), the Saints' second-round pick in '22 (No. 49 overall) is in Olave's draft class. They shared a hotel room as rookies after they were drafted, they've attended concerts and other off-the-field events together, and they have sought each other out for feisty, borderline-testy, one-on-one training camp drills. The latter helped each sharpen skills and tighten the friendship.
"I wanted him to do what he wants to do," Taylor said. "Everybody has their opinion — I get it, it makes sense. But I feel like I know Chris very well, and Chris is a guy who wants to continue to prove himself, a guy who wants to continue to become who he knows he can become.
"So, for me, it was more so, 'What do you wanna do, bro?' And I just fully support him on what he wants to do. I think at the end of the day, that's what matters the most, is him just being happy. And I think if he would have retired or done what other people said, maybe he wouldn't have been able to sit well with himself later on in life."
Olave is back to the top of the statistical heap for the Saints. The lack of team success gnaws at him, but Olave leads New Orleans in receptions and receiving yards, just like he did his first two seasons, when he caught 72 passes for 1,042 yards in '22, and 87 for 1,123 yards in '23.
"I love it," he said of the offense installed by first-year coach Kellen Moore. "They're using me in all types of ways. A lot of underneath stuff, a lot of over the middle and we're starting to open up the deep game, too. I'm excited going forward."