Star wide receiver Chris Olave will miss the Saints’ Week 18 game against the Falcons after a blot clot was discovered in his lung, according to multiple reports.
It was discovered early “before anything bad could happen,” according to Saints reporter Nick Underhill, and Olave will be discharged from the hospital Thursday.
Olave, 25 and in his fourth season with the Saints, will miss approximately a month before beginning to participate in offseason activities and doesn’t have any previous history with blood clots, per ESPN.
Despite the Saints starting two different quarterbacks this season and entering Sunday with just a 6-10 record, Olave will still finish with a career-best 1,163 receiving yards and nine touchdowns — topping his previous bests of 1,123 and five, respectively.
He established a strong connection with rookie signal-caller Tyler Shough late in the season, catching 10 passes — on 16 targets — for 148 yards and two touchdowns in Week 16 before adding another eight catches for 119 yards and a touchdown last weekend.
That rapport will remain a key part of the Saints’ offense heading into next season, too, as they attempt to decipher if Shough, who was their second-round pick in April’s draft, can emerge as the franchise quarterback they’ve been searching for since Drew Brees retired.
New Orleans will also need to address Olave’s contact situation, as he’s set to play 2026 on the fifth-year option of his rookie deal and will be a free agent afterward.
Olave said Sunday that it was one of his “main goals” to play in all 17 games this season and that it “means a lot,” according to NOLA.com.
While he’ll fall just short of that goal now, he managed to revive his career after sustaining multiple concussions last season — and four throughout his NFL career — and contemplating an early retirement.
“It was a tough time last year,” Olave told reporters after the Saints defeated the Jets on Dec. 21, according to ESPN. “I was only 24 years old, contemplating retirement, especially with the head injuries, but I prayed about it. My fam, my close fam was around me. They stuck by my side and I just gave it another try, another chance. And it’s been a great year.”
