Chris Olave is expecting a fine from the NFL, but he doesn’t care.
He did what he had to do to finish the game as the New Orleans Saints lost a heartbreaking 31-30 result to the Detroit Lions on Sunday in Week 1.
And yeah, about that fine? It would be for taking his socks off.
It’s not an aspect that you think about much with NFL players, but think about how they all look.
They aren’t really wearing pants. They’re wearing socks that go up to about their knees, and pant-like fabric that’s slightly longer than shorts.
But when the Saints finished their Sunday game, Olave’s calves were bare. It’s a rare sight on an NFL field, and it’s against the uniform policy.
You can see it in this video:
My QB is ice cold pic.twitter.com/UBBIXuoimZ
— Saints Film Room (@SaintsFilmRoom) September 13, 2026
Why Did Chris Olave Take His Socks Off?
Olave took his socks off because he was cramping.
He had to leave the field for a brief stretch because of cramps, and he needed a way to feel better. He decided taking his socks off would alter the compression on his lower legs and potentially help.
Given that Olave was on the field to finish the game, he was apparently right.
“Olave said he took the socks off because he was cramping (and I guess losing the compression helped),” Saints reporter Jeff Nowak posted on X on Sunday night. “He knows he’ll probably get fined for it, but he had to find a way to finish the game. Never realized how jarring that look would actually be until seeing it in action.”
Olave was quite the sight to behold on the field, because he was also wearing a bulky Guardian Cap on his helmet.
So up top, he looked heavier than everyone else, and down low, he was missing socks that everyone else was wearing.
Chris Olave Stats
The Saints may have lost in painful fashion, when they failed to convert a two-point conversion attempt for the win in overtime.
But for his part, Olave was phenomenal.
He was targeted 13 times by Tyler Shough, and he caught 10 of them. Olave turned those catches into 182 yards.
After signing a big deal in the offseason, Olave delivered in exactly the way you’d expect from a true No. 1 wide receiver.
Olave didn’t get in the end zone, but the Saints found other ways to score after Olave had gotten them into great position.
The game had gotten off to a rough start for Shough, who turned it up and finished 35-for-56 for 410 yards with three touchdowns, two interceptions and five sacks taken. When things went well for Shough, Olave was often at the heart of it.
If Olave keeps doing this going forward, Saints fans will be just fine with him making whatever fashion choices he feels help him best.
Chris Olave Took Socks Off in Saints’ Week 1 — Here’s Why