Life is good for New Orleans Saints fans as we head toward the 2026 NFL season. The Saints may not have made the playoffs in the 2025 season, but they figured out plenty about their team along the way.

The Saints have a franchise player at three of the five premier positions: Quarterback Tyler Shough, left tackle Kelvin Banks Jr. and wide receiver Chris Olave. Now they can take their shot at potentially adding a franchise cornerback or edge rusher to that list with the No. 8 overall pick should such a player fall to the Saints’ pick.

Advertisement

Franchise players require franchise money, though. Chris Olave is set to command a big-time contract soon.

Spotrac projected how much Olave could make. Matt Sullivan of “The Sporting News” discussed what an Olave contract could entail.

“Spotrac.com has Olave’s Market Value at an impressive $131,867,272 over four years. Roughly $131 over four years will have Olave’s average per year at $32 million, which would be one of the top numbers in the league.

While paying so much for a wide receiver is a bit scary, especially one like Olave who’s had some injury concerns in his career, the Saints will have a much stronger reason than other teams for paying that expensive salary.

Advertisement

With Shough on a rookie deal and a second-rounder’s contract at that, the Saints will have plenty of money to play with going forward. Olave would be worth spending it on.”

The looming contract of Olave heightens the urgency of building a contender in the near future. With contracts for Banks and Shough down the line, should both players continue to perform at a high level consistently, the Saints’ margin for error could decrease once the trio’s set of contracts command more cap space.

The Saints have demonstrated that they are not afraid of playing key players big money, but they also know they have to build a roster. That makes winning now and building with great draft picks of such high importance for the team.

Advertisement

The Saints are in position to win the NFC South and contend for the NFL playoffs in the near future. The team’s four-game winning streak toward the tail end of the season indicated as much. Olave, Banks and Shough have certainly positioned the franchise well for success in the short term.

The team will look to make a run while it can build around the elite trio.