The Atlanta Falcons handed Drake London a hefty contract, and every New Orleans Saints fan's mind jumped straight to Chris Olave's negotiations, as it should. Not only does the "next man up" mentality apply here, London and Olave is a pretty good comparison of contract value.
London's contract averages $35.25 million per year. It feels a bit much on the surface, but sometimes it can be difficult to determine overpay versus flow of the market. London is still $7 million under the highest paid receiver.
So while it may be tough to give Olave $35-$36 million, looking at the landscape could make it easier to accept. Also, London's contract likely set the bar regardless if you think it was too much. The question now becomes are he and Olave comparable.
Chris Olave vs Drake London proves one thing
Strip away the Saints versus Falcons aspect, Drake London is a good receiver and his stats display a great comparison for Olave’s expected contract. Garrett Wilson used to be the go to comparison for Olave. London has now replaced him due to the recency of the deal.
They’re much different receivers based on how they’re built, naturally giving them different play styles. Each player has an injury history that could be concerning, so it’s hard to use Olave’s injuries against him in this comparison.Â
Let’s focus on when they are in the field. London has advantages over Olave and Olave has advantages over London in negotiations. The biggest advantage Olave has is consistency. 1000 yards is a widely accepted benchmark for receivers. Olave has three seasons beyond the century mark. London has one.Â
Boiling down London’s production to this one benchmark would be unfair. He had a slower start to his career, which once again points to Olave’s consistency edge, but London has truly hit his stride these last two years.Â
In 2024, London recorded 1271 receiving yards and 9 touchdowns. Both are career highs for him and would be for Olave as well. London followed up that campaign with an even better 2025 that was cut short by injury. He, however, set new career highs in yards per catch and per game. He was on his way to having 1300 yard season. While it’s impossible to predict touchdown frequency, London had 7 touchdowns and reasonably could’ve added three in five games to reach double digits.Â
It isn’t unfair to say when on the field London has been better these past two seasons. Being able to stay on the field is what got Olave his biggest bargaining chip though. He has an All-Pro and London doesn’t. That’s something that’s definitely coming to the negotiation table. It doesn’t definitively prove anything, but it’s something in Olave’s favor.Â
If it’s one thing looking at resumes shows, it’s that you could favor either player depending on how you look at it. That typically means those players will see a similar contract.
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