The New Orleans Saints are a week away from entering training camp without a contract extension done with Chris Olave. We all know both sides want to get it done, but if that desire doesn't become actuality quickly, we could have a problem on our hands.
Olave is coming off the best season of his career and his first one without a concussion. Getting a deal done is the epitome of striking while the iron is hot. From Olave's standpoint, he's coming to the negotiation table at his best and healthiest.
Away from the Saints' negotiations, Olave also saw Drake London get a new deal. London's contract gave a solid range for the floor of expectations for Olave. Career year, shook his biggest criticism, health, and saw a peer get a healthy contract. The only thing missing from the offseason is Olave signing a deal of his own.
It feels like time is ticking on Saints extending Chris Olave
The Athletic's Larry Holder reported there is still "an expectation that this should happen before the start of the 2026 campaign." That feels like the soft deadline to get the deal done.
It's not that it can't get done during the season. We've seen the Saints sign players to extensions during the year, but it isn't rare for negotiations to take a backseat once the season starts.
Taking this into the regular season would be a sign of the two sides being much further apart than they would like. It would also cast doubt on the deal happening this year at all. The deeper we get into the season, the less likely the extension becomes.
If the contract has to go into next offseason, there's going to be one party that'll be really upset about the delay. Which party it is all depends on how the season goes.
The pressure would be fully be on Olave because his performance will be the deciding factor in what the price tag looks like. If he delivers a season similar to the year he just had, the Saints will have to pay a premium.
There's something to be said for repeating a performance. One time shows is possible, while a second shows it's sustainable. Sustainability always gets paid more. The Saints will have to pay the price of patience if this happens.
Olave not capitalizing on his career year, whether due to injury or performance, has the potential to dip the price. It'll more than likely stay around the same amount, but at the worst, it kills the hype for Olave to negotiate based off his ceiling.
Additionally, Olave could compete against how Jordyn Tyson performs. A strong rookie campaign for Tyson creates the ability for the Saints to draw a more firm line on how far they're willing to go.
That's all hypothetical and can be erased by simply coming to an agreement before the season.
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