New Orleans Saints star Chris Olave is taking his commitment to player protection beyond the football field.
Guardian Sports announced that Olave has joined the company as its newest Guardian Signature Athlete, expanding a relationship that has already included the Saints wide receiver wearing Guardian equipment.
For Olave, however, this is hardly a conventional endorsement deal.
His decision to prioritize head protection comes after a frightening concussion history that derailed much of his 2024 season and at one point forced him to consider what football could mean for his life long after his playing career ends.
“I want to live a regular life after I’m done with football,” Olave said in the announcement. “I love my kids to death so I don’t really care how it looks anymore. I just have to throw it on.”
Chris Olave Helmet: Star Turns Guardian Cap Decision Into New Partnership
Guardian Sports announced on September 28 that Olave will serve as a Guardian Signature Athlete, helping bring attention to impact-reducing equipment and player protection.
The company said Olave has used Guardian equipment, including its SoftShox Chinstrap and Guardian Cap NXT, and the partnership will also give him the opportunity to donate Guardian Caps and chinstraps to his former high school and programs around New Orleans.
“We’re honored to welcome Chris Olave as a Guardian Signature Athlete,” Guardian Sports COO Jake Hanson said. “Chris has chosen to wear Guardian equipment over the years because he believes in taking a proactive approach to his equipment and his health.”
That approach has become particularly visible in 2026.
Olave began wearing a Guardian Cap in games this season, explaining that his history of head injuries — and his responsibilities as a father — outweighed any concerns about how the oversized helmet covering looked. Heavy previously detailed Olave’s reasoning after he made the change.
Chris Olave’s Concussion History Changed His Career
The significance of the partnership becomes clearer when looking at what Olave endured in 2024.
He suffered a concussion against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on October 13, returned later that month and then sustained another against the Carolina Panthers on November 3. The second injury resulted in Olave being carted from the field and transported to a hospital.
He did not play another game that season.
According to the Saints, Olave appeared in only eight games in 2024 and missed the final eight following that second concussion.
The concern extended beyond one season, too. Olave had also suffered NFL concussions in 2022 and 2023.
That history helps explain why his comments about protecting his future carry more weight than the standard language attached to an athlete endorsement.
Olave Bounced Back With Career Year for Saints
Olave’s career did not stall after the 2024 scare.
He returned in 2025 and delivered the best statistical season of his NFL career, finishing with 100 receptions for 1,163 yards and nine touchdowns.
Now the equipment he has increasingly incorporated into his own career is becoming part of his work away from the field as well.
Guardian Sports stressed that no helmet, cap or chinstrap can eliminate concussion risk, and that impact-testing results should not be interpreted as proof that a product prevents concussions.
For Olave, the calculation appears simpler.
After everything he has already experienced, he is willing to add another layer of protection — and now put his name behind it.
Saints Star Chris Olave Announces Career News Amid Injury History