In a league that largely forgot about Greg Olsen, the veteran tight end enjoyed a nice comeback season for the Carolina Panthers.
In 2017 and ’18, Greg Olsen put up the lowest and second-lowest receiving totals of his NFL career, one that began as a first round pick of the Chicago Bears in the 2007 NFL Draft. Given that the longtime Panthers great was turning 34 years old after the ’18 season, it felt safe to assume that Olsen had reached the end of the line on an impressive ride.
It turns out such assumptions were wrong.
Olsen decided to play another season for the Panthers in 2019 after injuries limited him to an average of eight games the previous two years. It was a defiant move, and a potentially stubborn one—a competitive player blind to the physical realities making their demands. But Olsen showed he was right to believe in himself, a decision rooted in self-awareness, one that backed the claims he’d made all along.
A year ago, Olsen had stated that his only real hurdle for coming back for another season was getting over the foot injury that had plagued him. It wasn’t about age. It wasn’t about a declining skill set. It was a single issue akin to any other injury that might beset a player, whether 14, 24 or 34.
“I still believe in my heart, that other than this little bone in my foot, I’ve shown that I can be pretty good,” he told reporters in December 2018. Later on in training camp, Olsen once again stated that avoiding a broken foot is his only concern and that he was ready for the season.
“At times last year, I was very productive … (But) it wasn’t ideal. It wasn’t great running around with a foot half off. If I can stay healthy — specifically, if my foot continues to be as good as it has been the last couple of months — I know what I’m able to do.”
The player-speak wasn’t enough, however. Given his age, injury history, and decline in performance, Olsen needed to prove it on the field. It felt like a longshot, given that his longtime partner in Cam Newton was out for so long. The Panthers quickly turned into a franchise that needed to play its developing core, yet Olsen still turned in a great performance that turned heads.
On the season, Olsen played in 14 games for the Panthers, the most he’s played since 2016. He also caught 52-of-82 targets for 597 yards and two touchdowns. His receiving totals, both receptions and yards, were good for 11th at his position while his 82 targets ranked ninth. It was proof that Olsen could do exactly what he said and return to being a high-volume offensive target once more even after missing about half of the previous two years.
Moving forward, Olsen is getting ready to make a serious decision to play for his third NFL team. The Panthers have decided to move on, and Olsen has been making free agent visits after the Super Bowl to check in with various suitors. The Washington Redskins are interested as are the Buffalo Bills and Seattle Seahawks. Ian Rapoport has word that Olsen is expected to make his decision “by the end of the week.”
Next season, Olsen will be 35 years old and only six other tight ends in NFL history have eclipsed 500 receiving yards in their mid-to-late thirties:
Fortunately for Olsen, many of those are recent or even still active players who are proving that the tight end position has radically changed since the NFL’s earlier days and targets who remain healthy and in good shapes can continue to provide exciting mismatches. If Olsen remains healthy, there’s no reason he can’t join that group with impressive numbers of his own.
Whether he becomes an important outlet for a young quarterback like Dwayne Haskins in Washington or joins the rotation of pass catchers assembled in Buffalo to help Josh Allen, Olsen is going to show a new fan base not to underestimate an aging tight end.
Olsen has been in league for as long as he has for good reason, with a penchant for Pro Bowl production when healthy and a determination to get back there once again.