We continue our series of New Orleans Saints superlatives from the 2025 campaign with Comeback Player of the Year. The final choice came down to Chris Olave versus Cam Jordan, with Olave getting the nod due to overwhelming circumstances and how his performance stacked up league wide in 2025.
Jordan likely would have won in any other year. He was coming off back to back seasons with low sack production. People counted him out and thought it was time to retire. Jordan responded with one of the more impressive seasons we've seen in a while. He turned back the clock and recorded 10 sacks for the first time since 2021.
While Jordan was counted out by many, Olave almost counted himself out. The receiver's concussion history is well documented. A concussion in 2024 forced him to miss the back half of the season. After the year, Olave pondered calling it quits. Obviously, he didn't retire but nearly being forced to at 24 years old is a huge mountain to overcome. Olave responded with the best year of his young career.
Chris Olave not being a Comeback Player of the Year finalist is a travesty
Most of the players in this series won’t hear their name during the NFL Honors. It's a disgrace that Olave finds himself among that group. He's the obvious choice for the Saints' Comeback Player of the Year and should have been a contender for the award league wide.
We focus so much on the obstacles that preceded the season, but it's time to put Olave's season in perspective. Olave bouncing back to have the best season of his career is a great achievement that looks even better when looked at from a wider lens.
Olave's 100 catches, 1163 receiving yards and 9 touchdowns within arm's reach to being the first Saints receiver to have 100 catches, 1000 yards and 10 touchdowns in team history. One could see how that is less impressive to those outside of Saints' circles until you realize he was also seventh in receptions and eighth in receiving yards and touchdowns league wide.
Olave secured his first All-Pro of his career, and that wasn't a sympathy vote due to past concussions. He was one of the best receivers in the league. The stats reflect it. The accolade reflects it. There are some quality finalists for the award, but Olave's All Pro and bouncing back from an injury that nearly ended his career should have been enough to place him over one of the quarterbacks.