The Chicago Bears should pursue this former Ohio State receiver
By Peter Jurich
How realistic is a Chris Olave trade?
In the 2022 NFL Draft, the New Orleans Saints traded up to the 11th overall selection to draft Ohio State wide receiver Chris Olave. Fast forward to mid-way through the 2022 NFL season. Olave is already one of the best rookie receivers — leading all rookies in receiving yards. Olave is unfortunately one of the only bright spots for a bad Saints team. Despite their aggressive moves in recent history, they are somewhat stuck in purgatory and are likely looking at a franchise rebuild in the next few seasons.
With a quarterback rotation of Jameis Winston, Andy Dalton, and Taysom Hill, the Saints have only a few playmakers in Olave and Alvin Kamara. With a fierce, but aging, defense with stars who are either approaching or past their primes.
As the Saints look forward to rebuilding and becoming competitive once again, Olave is likely a cornerstone piece of their franchise for years to come. But what if they are so desperate for draft picks that the Bears could make an aggressive trade for Olave and help them recoup (and potentially then some) the picks they gave up to trade up just a season prior?
This is certainly unlikely, and the Bears would probably have to overpay in this deal if the Saints don’t hang up the phone immediately after general manager Ryan Poles calls to inquire about the former Buckeye’s availability. But it is possible that the Saints may realize that a receiver is not necessarily their number one priority when looking at acquiring a new franchise quarterback and younger defensive stars.
Olave would certainly be very difficult to acquire from the Saints, but for a team that currently has no real direction or future, they might bite on a massive haul of future picks. And for the Bears, this may be the best receiver to get to pair with Justin Fields. Their college careers together show that they have the potential to be a Joe Burrow/Jamar Chase-like connection.
It would be interesting to see if the Saints would even entertain offers on this rookie star, but if the Bears want to be real about surrounding Justin Fields, it would not hurt to inquire about his availability.