Tag: Chris Olave

Saints WR Rashid Shaheed on ‘genius’ head coach candidate Kellen Moore

Rashid Shaheed has been studying New Orleans Saints head coach candidates, and he has high praise for Philadelphia Eagles OC Kellen Moore:

If the New Orleans Saints hire Kellen Moore as the next head coach, they’ll get a positive review from Rashid Shaheed. When asked about Moore, Shaheed called him a “genius,” per NewOrleans.Football’s Nick Underhill.

Shaheed is working his way back from injury, but he along with Chris Olave are two of the most attractive pieces for an offensive minded head coach. They’re two young, dynamic receivers.

New Orleans is getting a complete overhaul this year. Klint Kubiak joined the Seattle Seahawks, so there will be a change of system even if Moore isn’t the coach. Shaheed has studied the Saints’ potential candidates this offseason. Shaheed’s description of Moore’s offense could unlock an underutilized portion of his game.

“It’s spread out. There’s a lot of space,” Shaheed said. Over the course of his career, Shaheed has primarily been used as a field-stretcher. As one of the NFL’s best deep threats, Shaheed forces teams to pick between his downfield route or Olave’s underneath route.

It’d be interesting to see if Kellen Moore’s offense can create a lot of space while using Shaheed as a catch and run threat. Olave has the speed to threaten vertically and the respect to command attention from defensive backs. That would leave the underneath receiver with room to work.

Shaheed has done so much damage getting yards before the catch, that it’s easy to not think of ways to translate his special teams prowess to the offensive game plan.

As a return specialist, he’s used to running with the ball in his hand. When Shaheed points out the space Moore’s offense creates, it’s a safe assumption he sees that as something he can benefit from.

Not using Shaheed as a threat with the ball in his hands feels like leaving meat on the bone. That could change for the dynamic receiver, in addition to still being a field stretcher.

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Saints’ roster gives their next coach a nearly blank slate when crafting the team

The Saints are in need of roster reconstruction, and that gives a new coach like Kellen Moore the opportunity to shape it in his image quickly:

Kellen Moore believes in building around your players, but the New Orleans Saints are set up to build around Moore — or whoever their next head coach ends up being.

Good coaches understand you have to be adaptable with your playbook. It’s a mindset that is expressed when Moore spoke the media Monday night: “You build around your players. There’s different styles we’ve played over the years and that’s the fun part of it.”

When you have Saquon Barkley on your team, you tend to run the football a lot. No one did it more frequently than the Philadelphia Eagles. They led the NFL with 621 rushing attempts this season. No other team had more than 554 (the Baltimore Ravens).

However, outside of Alvin Kamara, Chris Olave, Rashid Shaheed, Erik McCoy and Taliese Fuaga, there aren’t a lot of building blocks for a new coach to work with. The Saints are in need of real roster reconstruction, which should give Moore (or someone like him) more fluidity early in his tenure.

With an innovative coach like Moore leading the charge, he would have the opportunity to bring in the type of players he wants for his system immediately instead of working around what pieces are there. So long as the Saints are patient and trust in his process, anyway.

Year 1 they will have some holdover, but he can start the process of shaping the roster immediately through the draft. Outside of McCoy and Kamara there’s no one who is locked into their role. Fuaga could change sides, and New Orleans may look to bring in another impact receiver or rusher in the draft.

The Saints didn’t do a lot well in 2024. They ran the ball well early in the season, but they still have room to grow and be more balanced. Being pass-heavy may be the only thing off the table.

One point of rigidity is the quarterback room. If their new coach truly doesn’t like the options available to him, he may feel leaning on the run is mandatory.

Moore has the right idea of adapting to his players, and one day he’ll have to do it. Where the Saints are currently, however, would allow him to shape this team in his vision quickly.

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What does the future hold for Chris Olave?

Between uncertain contract status, concerning injury history, and a new coach on the way, what does the future hold for New Orleans Saints WR Chris Olave?

Change is in the air for the New Orleans Saints, and some of it might impact the best players on their roster. Between uncertain contract status, concerning injury history, and a new coach on the way, what does the future hold for Chris Olave?

The Saints must make a decision by May 2 on whether or not to pick up Olave’s fifth-year option, which is estimated at $15,161,000. He’s already under contract for the upcoming 2025 season. The question is whether to pay him like a top-15 player at his position in 2026, or to risk letting him walk away as a free agent. The franchise tag could be in play but it’ll be even more expensive than his fifth-year option. It’s going to increase from this year’s estimate of $25,693,000, which is top-five among wide receiver salaries.

So Olave’s long-term outlook is in doubt before we even get to his health. He’s one of the younger players on the team (he’ll turn 25 this summer) but has already suffered a series of concussions, including two in 2024. He’s given every indication he plans to keep playing football but those are serious brain injuries. He was limited to a career-low 32 catches and 400 yards in eight games because of it. Recurring concussions, or even the concern for them, can end a career. Some of Olave’s family members have already spoken out against him putting his body on the line for a team with no future.

And then you’ve got a new coach coming in, with the Saints expected to hire Kellen Moore after his duties as Philadelphia Eagles offensive coordinator conclude in Super Bowl LIX. On the one hand, Olave’s presence should be an attraction for a young, offensive-minded coach like Moore. That’s exactly the type of talent he’ll need to get the most out of his system. On the other hand, there may be other players Moore views as better fits for the role Olave would have in his offense. Rashid Shaheed was outproducing him last year before they both went down with injuries. For his part, Olave is excited about the prospect of working with Moore and says he plans on being a better version of himself for whoever is coaching the team.

We shouldn’t dismiss a trade out of hand. If the Saints have doubts about Olave’s health, future contract value, or fit in the offense they could look to get something back for him. One team that makes sense? The Houston Texans, who are working around the clock to support franchise quarterback C.J. Stroud. Stroud and Olave played together at Ohio State and remain close. The Saints traded up in the 2022 draft to get Olave because they felt he was their missing piece. That was the wrong read on their situation. If they’re going to embrace a rebuild (and they should), sending him to a contender and getting back some draft picks back makes sense. Houston controls their own picks in each of the first four rounds. While they swung and missed in a trade for Stefon Diggs last year, they could try again with Olave. If the Saints can possibly get a first-round pick back for him, they owe it to themselves to look into it.

Ideally, none of this comes to pass. You’d hope for Olave to stay healthy and produce well in new offense before signing a long-term contract extension to keep playing in New Orleans. But things rarely go according to plan in the NFL. His career to this point has been proof of it. And with a critical juncture ahead this offseason, we have to assume anything could happen for No. 12.

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The Saints didn’t get an F, but their 2024 season grade is far from passing

“Injuries and the decline of the defense” resulted in the Saints’ worst season since 2005. These struggles shaped their final season grade

It’s hard to say too many good things about the New Orleans Saints season, and Bleacher Report’s Maurice Moton didn’t try to fake it. He gave New Orleans a D grade.

The Saints’ season-long battle with injuries is a huge reason for it, but not the only reason. Moton correctly summed up the Saints’ 2024 demise: “they fell apart because of injuries and a declining defense.”

Chris Olave and Rashid Shaheed missed a combined 20 games. Alvin Kamara missed the last three week. Erik McCoy, Cesar Ruiz and Lucas Patrick missed time simultaneously, making it harder for rookie backup Spencer Rattler during Derek Carr’s seven-game absence.

All of those injuries were on the offense, however. Paulson Adebo was really the lone injury defensively. Marshon Lattimore’s absence was spent mostly in Washington. The defense simply got too old and slow — and then they played without discipline by drawing too many penalties and giving up easy running lanes.

The defense still struggled with allowing explosive plays and fundamentals, such as tackling. It was these issues that made Dennis Allen’s departure mandatory. Not only was the team struggling to win games, his side of the ball was beginning to struggle as well.

What was once the backbone of the team turned into as much of a liability as the injured offense. The pairing of the two led to the worst season by the Saints in nearly 20 years. They must be better in 2025.

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Chris Olave on Kellen Moore potentially becoming his next coach: ‘That’s huge’

If Chris Olave’s reaction is any indication, Kellen Moore would be popular in the New Orleans Saints locker room:

As the New Orleans Saints head coaching search enters into its final stretch, Philadelphia Eagles offensive coordinator Kellen Moore has become the name most linked to the job, at least among the media as well as in league circles. With so much attention on the city of New Orleans right now with Super Bowl LIX looming, many media platforms have chosen this time to share many thoughts about the possibility of Moore becoming the Saints’ next head coach.

If Chris Olave’s reaction is any indication, Moore would be a popular fit in the locker room. The Saints receiver weighed in on Moore and the idea of potentially getting a coach with experience in the big game.

“That’s huge,” said Olave, acknowledging that he’d seen Moore’s name mentioned with other candidates in this cycle. He continued, “Just to have somebody that has reached the Super Bowl and who has a possibility to win it comes in and be the next head coach, that’s huge. I’m excited to see who the next head coach is, I’m going to be a better version of myself to try and help them win.”

Olave, who is coming off an injury-riddled third year, is looking to bounce back after two straight 1,000-yard seasons to start his career. The idea of getting a young and innovative offensive mind in the building should bring a ton of excitement to a team that has struggled since the days of Sean Payton and Drew Brees. Finding someone who cannot only command a room and call an offense, but can maximize the potential of his players will be a crucial factor when it’s all said and done. It’s clear that Moore has a lot of credibility for what he’s achieved in Philly. Let’s see if the Saints can seal the deal.

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Chris Olave salary: How much money did the Saints WR make this season?

How much money did the New Orleans Saints pay third-year wide receiver Chris Olave last season? What are they on the hook for in 2025?

The New Orleans Saints have not had the best of luck with their first round picks in recent years. Even when they work out talent-wise, they have unfortunate injury luck.

That has been the case with exciting wide receiver Chris Olave, especially this past season. Dating back to his days with the Ohio State Buckeyes, he has now had five known head injuries. That’s a scary total.

When he is on the field though, he is a game changer. This past campaign was a rough one all around, though. In eight games, he posted 32 catches for 400 yards and a touchdown.

This is how much the star wide receiver made this season, according to the experts with OverTheCap:

Chris Olave 2024-2025 salary

This was year three of the four-year contract that Olave signed after being drafted with the No. 11 overall selection in the 2022 NFL draft.

His base salary in 2024 was just $985,000. He also received a roster bonus of $1,471,988 for being with the team past the fifth day of training camp.

Olave’s total cap hit was $5,255,965 when accounting for his prorated signing bonus allotment of $2,798,977.

How much will Chris Olave make next season?

The final year of the contract will also be his first in seven digits.

His base salary will be $1,499,940 and his roster bonus bumps up to $1,833,042. Then his prorated signing bonus will push his cap hit to $6,131,959.

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Saints have tough calls to make on fifth-year options for 2022 draft picks

The New Orleans Saints have tough decisions to make on the fifth-year options for Chris Olave and Trevor Penning, their first-round draft picks in 2022:

Here’s another tough call the New Orleans Saints must make this offseason: Whether or not to pick up the fifth-year options for Chris Olave and Trevor Penning? It isn’t something they’ll have to decide overnight — that window opened on Jan. 6 and closes on May 1, just four days after the 2025 NFL draft — but it will have to be dealt with eventually. Both players are under contract for 2025, but this will determine whether they’ll be locked in for 2026.

And it may not be as simple a call as you’d first think. The decision to pick up team options for Marshon Lattimore and Ryan Ramczyk was an easy one, and you have to think that’s what the Saints hoped for when they drafted Olave and Penning back-to-back a few years later. Things just haven’t gone that way.

The formula for determining how much these fifth-year options are worth has gotten a little complicated. The latest NFL collective bargaining agreement introduced different categories for payouts determined by play time and Pro Bowl appearances, but the two Saints players we’re looking at fall into the lowest tier. That’s been summarized by Over The Cap’s experts as “Players who do not meet any of the requirements below will be eligible for a fifth year base salary calculated from the average of the 3rd to 25th highest salaries at their position over the past five seasons.”

Neither Olave nor Penning have made a Pro Bowl yet. They also haven’t met criteria for playtime due to injuries or, in Penning’s case, being benched midway through his second season. Because of those qualifiers and the rising wages of veteran players at each position, OTC estimates the 2026 salary cap cost to pick up Penning’s fifth-year option is actually higher than Olave’s — $17,412,000 for the offensive lineman compared to $15,161,000 for the wide receiver. All of that money is guaranteed and while it can be restructured (as the Saints did before with Marcus Davenport), it’s still a heavy lump to take.

Let’s be honest: Penning hasn’t played well enough to earn that fifth season in black and gold just yet. The better move is to decline the option and have him play out a contract year in 2025 with a new coaching staff (and maybe another new position if he’s moved inside to guard). He showed enough growth last year to warrant a longer look at right tackle, and he at least won’t be seen as a cuts candidate going into training camp. But beyond that, he hasn’t earned much trust. The Saints need to see it to believe it, and so do we.

Now what about Olave? It’s his health that makes this a question. A series of concussions limited him to just eight games last year, but he was averaging his lowest numbers in receiving yards (50.0) and receptions (4.0) per game even when he was healthy and available. He hasn’t been able to play a full 17-game season since the Saints drafted him. You don’t want to hold that against him too strongly, and context matters here.

If the Saints do pick up Olave’s option he would have a salary cap charge of about $15.1 million in 2026. Right now, that would rank 15th among his peers at wide receiver, and that’s before big names like Tee Higgins, Chris Godwin, and Amari Cooper sign lucrative contracts this spring. If Olave can stay healthy and produce in another new offense, that could end up looking like a bargain. But if his long-term health is a concern and so is his ability to reliably play like a top-15 receiver? Then it becomes a more fraught decision.

So right now we’re leaning towards declining Penning’s option but picking up Olave’s. What would you do? The Saints have months to decide, and they can’t take these decisions likely.

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This veteran became a must-sign free agent for the Saints this offseason

The Saints lack depth behind Chris Olave and Rashid Shaheed. Marquez Valdes-Scantling did enough to where they should consider retaining him

Marquez Valdes-Scantling has made a strong case for the New Orleans Saints to bring him back after being a midseason pickup.

The Saints entered this season with a lack of depth at wide receiver. Chris Olave and Rashid Shaheed led the room, which is okay, but there wasn’t much proven talent behind them.

Ideally, you’d like to have three receivers you trust. Maybe New Orleans thought Alvin Kamara and Taysom Hill’s receiving ability could offset that. It was a miscalculation that became more evident when both Olave and Shaheed went out with injury.

It left the Saints scrambling for weapons and landed on Valdes-Scantling. He brought the field-stretching ability the offense lacked in the absence of Shaheed. It’s what the former Green Bay Packer and Kansas City Chief is known for.

The last half of the year was all about auditioning for the next regime. Valdes-Scantling, on a one-year contract, made the most of his opportunity. Isolating his time in a Saints uniform, his 22.6 receiving yards per catch and 48.1 yards per game were the highest of his career.

The redundancy in skillset may make the Saints feel there’s no need for Valdes-Scantling to return, but they don’t have that luxury from a depth standpoint. His presence would at least give them the benefit of having three weapons you can feel confident in at wide receiver.

New Orleans can’t come into next year with Olave, Shaheed and bunch of question marks. If it isn’t Valdes-Scantling, the Saints should invest in another wide receiver in free agency and another in the draft.

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B/R calls Saints the worst job opening this offseason

There are six teams in need of a head coach this offseason. But Bleacher Report argues the New Orleans Saints are the worst landing spot:

There are six vacancies in the 2025 NFL offseason’s coaching carousel, and Bleacher Report’s Gary Davenport argues the New Orleans Saints are the worst head coach opening of the bunch.

When looking at the Saints’ roster, Davenport sees “a veteran-laden roster, with defensive stalwarts like edge-rusher Cameron Jordan and linebacker Demario Davis nearing the end of the line.”

Derek Carr leads the charge at quarterback, and has a less than favorable contract. Spencer Rattler still has developmental potential, but the quarterback position doesn’t inspire ultimate confidence.

Chris Olave and Rashid Shaheed represent the future building blocks. Alvin Kamara still has some left in the tank but is more of a piece for the near future than a player to build around for years to come.

Bryan Bresee, Taliese Fuaga and Erik McCoy give you a few young building blocks in the trenches. If Bresee can build on his 7.5 sacks, you’ll have a consistent pressure player on the interior.

Fuaga and McCoy need a few more pieces around them to build the offensive line back to their former glory.

Even with these pieces, the Saints aren’t working with a lot. That’s why Davenport feels the Saints will “have to play a shell game again just to remain mediocre.”

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Drew Brees weighs in on the state of Saints after disappointing 2024 season

Ever an optimist, Drew Brees shared his thoughts on the Saints as a team and where they stand after the concussion of a disappointing 2024 season:

The New Orleans Saints are in quite the state of transition after finishing the 2024 season on a low note, falling 27-19 to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the season finale. That ended their year with a 5-12 record, a top-10 pick in this year’s draft, and an uncertain future without a head coach in place.

There’s plenty of work to do as the team looks to find their next coach, has questions at quarterback for the long-term and has multiple positions of need to fill as the 2025 NFL draft looms ahead.

We spoke with former Saints quarterback Drew Brees on the state of the team and how he reflects on last season. Brees quickly pointed out that the biggest issue was the injury bug, which the Saints caught in a major way.

“The tough part with the Saints is that they weren’t healthy,” Brees told me this week. “They lost both of their starting receivers early in the season between Rasheed Shahid and Chris Olave.”

The difference between the first two games of the season, in which the Saints looked like an offensive juggernaut scoring 91 points, compared to what the rest of the season looked like was like night and day.

Brees continued: “You look at what they did the first two weeks of the season when everybody was healthy. They were as good of an offensive team as anybody in the league. All of the sudden, guys just start dropping like flies, and then you lose Derek Carr there toward the end. You lose Alvin Kamara, you lose Taysom Hill.”

Brees went as far as to say that it was not totally fair to evaluate the Saints because of just how many elements were missing.

“The were shorthanded most of the year, which put a lot of pressure on guys both of offense and on defense,” Brees said. “So, kind of unfair to evaluate the team, other than noting they had a lot of young guys who stepped up and had a chance to play.”

And there were some diamonds in the rough who did show their talents and gained some recognition for the bright spots they were able to provide in an otherwise largely abysmal season.

“You trade Marshon Lattimore, arguably one of the best defensive guys in the secondary, kind of midway through the season, which allowed some young, secondary players to come in and get more time,” Brees said. Alontae Taylor and Kool-Aid McKinstry played more snaps after Lattimore was traded, but other defensive backs like Ugo Amadi, Shemar Jean-Charles, and Rico Payton got more opportunities because of it, too.

Despite the blunders and the fact the Saints have to practically totally rebuild on all fronts going into next season, looking to bounce back from a 5-12 overall record that put them at dead last in the NFC South, Brees views this team as being in a “good position.” He’s always been an optimist.

“So, look, they’re kind of in good position. But, obviously, they’re going out and looking for a new head coach, whether they recruit that guy from within, which is kind of where we have been the last 20 years,” Brees said.

The Saints have another option here, and it may just be time to pull the trigger on it. Brees does not seem too opposed.

“Or,” Brees added, “you go outside of the building and go get somebody with some fresh perspective.”

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