After a report surfaced that the Pittsburgh Steelers expressed interest to the New Orleans Saints in wide receiver Chris Olave, pundits immediately began speculating it would cost a lot for the Steelers to trade for the wideout. That speculation was confirmed Sunday.
Penn Live’s Nick Farabaugh reported “the trade cost for Olave would not be light.”
“League sources had a consensus that it would take at least a day-two pick, likely a second-round pick, for the Saints to part ways with Olave before his fourth season, if they even consider trading him,” Farabaugh wrote. “Given the Saints have no reason or desire to move Olave, the cost is likely higher than that.”
Olave began his career with a pair of 1,000-yard receiving seasons in 2022 and 2023. The Saints drafted the receiver from Ohio State at No. 11 overall in the 2022 NFL Draft.
Last season, the 24-year-old had 32 catches, 400 receiving yards and one touchdown in eight games. He missed the second half of the season because of a concussion.
Steelers ‘Check In’ on Saints WR Chris Olave
93.7 The Fan’s Adam Crowley first reported the Steelers interest in Olave on Friday. Steelers Now’s Alan Saunders confirmed, writing Pittsburgh had reached out to New Orleans about the receiver.
On Sunday, Farabaugh described the Steelers contacting the Saints as a “check in.”
“The Steelers would love to acquire a player of Olave’s talents, but the two sides must be interested in this,” Farabaugh wrote. “In addition, these due diligence calls to ‘check in’ happen all the time across the NFL.”
It’s not surprising that the reports from Crowley and Saunders sent Steelers Nation into an uproar. Stories about a team inquiring about a star always do around the league.
But Farabaugh’s point is it happens regularly. Often times, it leads to nothing.
A decent comparison for NFL fans to understand might be how trading in fantasy football works. One fantasy football player might ask about a player, but that doesn’t mean a deal is anywhere close.
It also doesn’t mean both sides are interested in discussing a potential trade.
One could argue the Saints appearing uninterested in dealing Olave is really the bad news the Steelers received this weekend — not the trade compensation. Farabaugh portrayed the Saints as not motivated to move on from Olave this offseason.
Olave has suffered four concussions in the NFL and five since beginning his college career. Because of his latest concussion, the receiver missed nine games.
That, along with the lack of a competitive roster, are the reasons the Saints could be interested in an Olave trade. But the team could also easily view him as a roster building block going forward.
The receiver is not a free agent next year either. Olave’s fifth-year option will prevent him from reaching the open market until 2027.
Steelers WR Depth Entering 2025 Offseason Workouts
The Steelers were linked to just about every available wide receiver last year and early this offseason until trading for DK Metcalf. But those wideout rumors in Pittsburgh have resumed since the team traded George Pickens.
The Steelers dealt Pickens to the Dallas Cowboys for 2026 and 2027 draft compensation. They didn’t receive anything to help their current roster.
That means the Steelers will enter offseason workouts with Metcalf as their only trusted outside receiver. Calvin Austin III emerged as a quality receiver last year, but he’s likely best suited in the slot.
Veteran Robert Woods could start opposite Pickens on the outside. Woods turned 33 years old in April and had only 20 catches last season.
The Steelers also have receivers Roman Wilson, Scott Miller, Ben Skowronek, Lance McCutcheon, Brandon Johnson, Roc Taylor and Ke’Shawn Williams on their 90-man roster. Wilson was a third-round pick in the 2024 NFL Draft but played just one game as a rookie because of injuries.
