After four years with the New Orleans Saints, Chris Olave could be moving on at the 2025 NFL trade deadline. The star receiver has several potential suitors, including the San Francisco 49ers, who could emerge as a late sleeper candidate.

The 49ers have been set at receiver for years, and 2025 is no different. They traded star Deebo Samuel in the offseason, but only to make space for emerging stars Jauan Jennings and Ricky Pearsall.

Jennings and Pearsall have shone in different moments in 2025, but both have spent more time on the injury report than on the field. As a result, Christian McCaffrey has been San Francisco’s leading receiver early on, with Kendrick Bourne emerging as a surprisingly potent target in the passing game.

The frustrating injuries sum up what has repeatedly limited the 49ers in recent years. As talented as they tend to be, their stars fail to deliver solely due to unavailability.

Adding Olave, a 25-year-old banged-up receiver who has already suffered four concussions in as many years in the NFL, does not soothe those concerns. However, the 49ers could still target him as a swap for Jennings, who has expressed frustration with the team over his contract.

Olave is in a similar situation with the Saints and has yet to receive an extension despite being eligible for one in the offseason. New Orleans’ hesitancy to extend Olave has played a part in the trade rumors, though the team claims that it still intends to keep him long-term.

The most likely scenario is that Olave remains with the Saints through the trade deadline. Regardless, the 49ers are acutely aware of how fickle these situations can be, having insisted they would not trade Samuel throughout the 2024 season, only to move him at the start of the offseason.