Saints wide receiver Chris Olave suffered a violent blow during New Orleans' 23-22 loss to the Carolina Panthers on Sunday and was carried off the field after being stabilized on a backboard.

He was then ruled out due to a concussion and transported to a Charlotte hospital for further evaluation before ultimately being released. Olave also suffered a concussion in Week 6 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, which forced him to sit out Week 7. He returned to action last week.

Olave let fans know he was fine via a message on X:

The hit occurred midway through the first quarter. Saints quarterback Derek Carr targeted Olave with a pass down the middle of the field. Panthers defenders Xavier Woods and Mike Jackson were in coverage, squeezing Olave with simultaneous strikes as the overthrown ball sailed out of Olave's reach.

Woods hit Olave high from Olave's blind side. Olave fell onto the grass and immediately went limp. Several flags were thrown.

Olave remained on the field for several moments while medical staff attended to him. Players from both teams surrounded Olave as silence reigned at Bank of America Stadium.

Olave was eventually put on a cart and driven off the field. He showed movement in his arms and feet as he was taken off the field and transported to a hospital shortly after.

Woods was penalized for unnecessary severity of the hit.

Olave said Thursday that he is considering wearing a protective cap over his helmet during Sunday's game to protect his head upon returning from his previous concussion. He chose not to wear one during the game.

Olave's brother Josh Olave later tweeted that Chris had called him and he was “up and down active.”

The Saints announced before the end of the game that Olave had been released from the hospital and would return with the team on the flight home to New Orleans.

Josh Olave and Michael Thomas criticize Derek Carr

Josh had been active on social media following his brother's injury and supported former Saints receiver Michael Thomas' criticism of Carr.

Thomas criticized Carr in several posts, blaming the Saints quarterback for his throw on the play that led to Olave's injury.

Josh retweeted a post from Thomas that said Carr “needs his ass to cheer.”

Thomas played seven seasons with the Saints, including two as a teammate of Olave. He remains a free agent this season after last playing for New Orleans in 2023.