The New Orleans Saints will be without another key player when they face the Atlanta Falcons in Week 18 due to a significant medical issue.
WR Chris Olave had a blood clot discovered in his lung, according to a report from NewOrleans.Football. The issue was discovered early and is not expected to be a lasting concern. Olave was absent from Wednesday’s practice with that was described as an illness.
Olave is expected to be sidelined for at least a month, according to a report from ESPN, but his offseason should otherwise not be disrupted.
Head coach Kellen Moore confirmed that Olave is dealing with an illness, but declined to specify what it entailed. Olave posted an image to Instagram showing him lying in a hospital bed. Moore also declined to rule out Olave for Week 18.
“I think the main outlook of this thing is [our medical team is] awesome, they get ahead of things," Moore said. "Obviously fortunate for Chris that they were able to get ahead of this and identify something and make the necessary steps to build a plan moving forward.”
The news brings an end to what was a career year and a bounceback season after concussion issues that limited Olave to 8 games a year ago. The 25-year-old and former first-round pick played in the first 16 games of the year and rolled up 100 catches for 1,163 and 9 touchdowns, all career bests. Despite battling back issues over the latter month of the season Olave put forth some of his best games as a pro, including 10 catches for 148 yards and two touchdowns in a win over the Jets, and another 8 catches for 119 yards and a touchdown in a win over the Titans.
Olave noted after the Titans game that a driving force for him playing through the back issues was his desire to play in all 17 games, a feat that will still elude him through his fourth NFL season. He missed two games in his rookie season, and one in his second in New Orleans.
The Saints opted to pick up Olave's 5th year option prior to the 2025 season, meaning he'll be under contract for the 2026 season. Olave's camp and the team have already had preliminary discussions on a potential contract extension, though nothing has materialized to this point. Olave's college teammate Garrett Wilson, who was picked one slot ahead of Olave in 2022, has already inked a lucrative, 4-year, $130 million contract with the New York Jets. Olave's medical history is likely to weigh heavily on any of those discussions.
Through a more immediate lens, Olave's absence means the Saints enter Week 18 likey without any of the WRs or running backs atop the depth chart to being the year. The saints opted to trade Rashid Shaheed to the Seahawks at the trade deadline and released Brandin Cooks shortly thereafter. RBs Devin Neal and Kendre Miller are on injured reserve, while Alvin Kamara still hasn't returned to practice due to a knee injury that's caused him to miss the past five games.
Related
WR Mason Tipton missed Wednesday's practice due to a groin injury that kept him out of the Week 17 win over the Titans. If he can't go the Saints would be down to Dante Pettis and Kevin Austin Jr. as options on the active roster, both of whom started the year on the practice squad. The Saints could also elevate or sign WRs Ronnie Bell, Elijah Cooks or Samori Toure, all of whom are currently on the practice squad.
The Saints (6-10) visit the Falcons (7-9) at noon, Sunday inside Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Catch all the action on WWL and Audacy.