In a perfect world, Tyler Shough will be throwing to Chris Olave and Jordyn Tyson for years to come. After the Atlanta Falcons gave Drake London a healthy contract, keeping one half of that duo just got much more expensive for the New Orleans Saints. Luckily, they have one piece of leverage that'll keep them from saying yes to any number.
The Saints and Olave were already engaged in negotiations, he felt the two sides were close to coming to an agreement. Then, the Falcons gave London $35.25 million per year. Wherever the negotiations were at, Olave's agent likely asked at least London's annual percentage the next day.
London's figure does feel like the new ballpark for Olave because the two players have comprable production. Seeing that Olave will sign second, it likely means he'll sign for more as well. The Saints have notoriously been a set a number and don't go past it team for years, and they have the luxury of keeping that mentality with Chris Olave because of Jordyn Tyson.
Jordyn Tyson also functions as Saints' backup plan in Chris Olave negotiations
Like we started with, a perfect world has Olave and Tyson on this team in 2028. That's why the Saints drafted Tyson. to give Shough a dangerous duo to throw to during the early portion of his career. The Saints have a couple of things they could do this offseason. One of which is paying Olave handsomely. The other side of the coin is not paying him this offseason at all.
If the Saints are uncomfortable with Olave's number or unwilling to go high enough for a compromise, they can move on from him. It's not the goal, but having a succession plan allows the Saints to say no without feeling like they're backing themselves into a corner.
If you put Olave in a prove it situation this year, the Saints run the risk of the price getting higher. If the Saints are still uncomfortable with the number, they could franchise him in 2027. Having Tyson gives the Saints the freedom to stretch this out and eventually move on from Olave if the two sides can't find middle ground.
Tyson gives the Saints a, hopefully, number one caliber receiver. Though the Saints drafted Tyson with hopes of pairing him and Olave, they still want him to reach the caliber of a true WR1. Knowing those are the expectations for him with or without Olave, makes him the perfect piece of leverage.
Sometimes players can use the leverage of teams having no other answers. That's not the case for the Saints. If they want to play hardball because they already have another receiver they believe can develop into a top receiver, they can. They're obviously looking to make a deal. Tyson wasn't drafted to replace Olave, but his draft position creates confidence that he could if it came to that.
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