New Orleans Saints wideout Chris Olave’s breakout year will come to an end a week earlier than expected. Olave will reportedly miss the team’s Week 18 game against the Atlanta Falcons after a blood clot was discovered in his lung, according to NewOrleans.Football.
The issue was caught early, per Nick Underhill. While Olave will miss Week 18, he’s expected to be fine moving forward.
Chris Olave will be out this week, per source. A blood clot was detected in his lung. Got caught early before anything bad could happen and will be fine. But not playing this week.
— Nick Underhill (@nick_underhill) January 1, 2026
The injury ends an extremely promising season from the 25-year-old former first-round pick. After playing in just eight games last season due to multiple concussions, Olave has played in all 16 games with the Saints so far.
He’s put up excellent numbers, setting career-highs in targets, receptions, receiving yards and receiving touchdowns.
While Olave has been a consistent bright spot for the Saints the entire season, he’s really excelled with rookie quarterback Tyler Shough under center. In the last three games, Olave has combined for 352 yards and four touchdowns with Shough. The Saints have won all three contests.
This story will be updated.

