The New Orleans Saints had a very rocky 2024 season, headlined by the uncertain status of Chris Olave. Things got so bad that Olave, dealing with multiple concussions, contemplated retirement.
But he held firm, came back in 2025, and had his best season as a pro. Olave deserves a Pro Bowl nod amid setting career highs in all of the main statistics for a wide receiver.
This breakout season from Olave has ESPN's Bill Barnwell naming him as his NFL Comeback Player of the Year. Olave, after mulling retirement, more than deserves this honor compared to the rest of the field.
Saints' Chris Olave named ESPN analysts CPoY over Lions' Aidan Hutchinson
"Last season was bleak for Olave, who dealt with concussions while playing for a losing Saints team," Barnwell writes. "By the end of the season, the Saints had shut down their star wide receiver, who admitted that he considered retirement during the offseason."
The brutal 2024 season, full of concussion issues and retirement consideration, and despite quarterback uncertainty in 2025, Olave put together a great season.
Despite missing the final game of the year with a blood clot issue, Olave finished 2025 with 100 receptions on 156 targets for 1,163 receiving yards and nine touchdowns. Every mark was a career high.
Compared to 2024, when he played in just eight games and recorded just 32 catches on 44 targets for 400 yards and one touchdown, this season was a massive step in the right direction for Olave.
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What makes this such a notable nod from Barnwell is that he's giving the Comeback Player of the Year award to Olave instead of Detroit Lions pass rusher Aidan Hutchinson.
Hutchinson played in just five games last season after a brutal leg injury knocked him out for the year. But the Lions superstar came back this season, recording 14.5 sacks, 54 tackles, and 35 quarterback hits, all career highs.
Despite how great Hutchinson was this season, Barnwell had him second to Olave in his rankings for the NFL Comeback Player of the Year award.
Both are very deserving candidates for this award, and while it's not exactly the one players want to win, both Olave and Hutchinson overcame so much that they're both deserving of this honor.
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