The New Orleans Saints had a year away from the All Pro teams, but it didn't take long for that drought to end. After a stellar season, Chris Olave was named to the Associated Press All Pro second team. It may sound strange, but this is the first postseason honor of his career. This being his first All Pro isn't surprising, but Olave doesn't even have a Pro Bowl invitation under his belt.
Olave did finish fourth in the Offensive Rookie of the Year race in 2021. He's improved each year he was healthy, so it isn't like he piqued as a rookie. He just didn't receive any post season recognition, until now. It was hard to deny the production this year.
Despite missing the season finale, Olave set multiple career highs and finished among the NFL's best in three categories. His 1163 receiving yards was eighth in the league, and he ended in a large tie for the same ranking in touchdown snags. Olave's 100 catches ranked seventh league wide. In addition to being one of the best this year, he was close to making history this season.
Chris Olave was close to making Saints history in 2025
Olave missed the final game of the season due to a blood clot being found in his lung. Luckily, they were able to find it early before it became detrimental. That isn't an injury but rather a health condition that stretches beyond football. The absence, however, did have ramifications on Olave's statistical output. It didn't put a damper on his season, but it did end his season just shy of Saints history.
Olave finished the season with 9 touchdowns. 10 seems to be an elusive number for Saints receivers in that category recently. As dominant as Michael Thomas was, he never hit double digits. Thomas reached 9 receiving touchdowns three times but never 10.
Had Olave been able to play in the final game, it feels like a near certainty he would have gotten one more touchdown. That would have made him the only receiver in Saints history to have 100 catches, 1000 yards and 10 touchdowns in a single season.
Olave fell short of the mark by just a touchdown, but it's still one of the better years we've seen from a Saints receiver in years. His 100 catches alone makes the year special. He's the only receiver in franchise history not named Michael Thomas to reel in 100 passes in a year.