Chris Olave's trade cost from ESPN could come into play if Saints can't get an extension done

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The New Orleans Saints have spent the entire 2026 NFL offseason building up the offense around second-year quarterback Tyler Shough.

Jordyn Tyson in the first round, Travis Etienne Jr. in free agency, a reworked deal for Alvin Kamara, and the addition of David Edwards to improve the offensive line. All of those moves, plus many more, are meant to help Shough.

But, with the Chris Olave extension talks dragging out, a trade could be in play. Such a scenario is incredibly unlikely, but if they do entertain offers, ESPN's Bill Barnwell projects Olave's trade value to be a lofty one that wouldn't be the worst outcome.

Saints get Chris Olave trade value projection from ESPN

"One first-round pick: DT Bryan Bresee, WR Chris Olave, WR Jordyn Tyson," Barnwell writes.

If the Saints were to trade away Olave this offseason, Barnwell believes they could land a first-round pick. But, is there even a scenario where a trade makes sense?

The only way a trade of Olave could even remotely make sense is if the Saints can't work out a long-term deal for Olave, and they can land a first-round pick in exchange for him from a top Super Bowl contender.

They would also likely need to land another WR in either that same trade or in a different deal. It would be way too complicated, and with how much the Saints have prioritized surrounding Shough with talent, keeping a WR Shough knows makes too much sense.

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But if something went wrong and the Saints were actually to entertain offers for Olave, Barnwell believes they could get a first-round pick in return.

Saints fans shouldn't worry about this trade projection coming into play, as Olave isn't likely to leave anytime soon, even though his rookie deal is almost up and the extension talks seemingly haven't gotten much of anywhere.

An extension should get done between the Saints and Olave this offseason. But, even if one doesn't get done right away, a trade doesn't seem like a possible solution to this situation right now.

Olave likely isn't going anywhere, even if an extension isn't worked out. The Saints WR is likely to stay with the team as Shough's No. 1 target, and this trade cost projection from Barnwell is only meant to gauge his value, not as an actual trade candidate.