Bears fans hoped for a Greg Olsen reunion in Chicago. And it could’ve happened if management wanted it.
If you ask any fan of the Chicago Bears who they believe was the one player that got away over the last 15 years, the vast majority would probably say tight end Greg Olsen.
Drafted in the first round of the 2007 NFL draft, the former pass-catching star only spent a few seasons with the Bears before becoming a Pro-Bowl player with the Carolina Panthers when he was traded for a third-round pick in 2011.
After nine seasons in Carolina, Olsen believed he was going to come back to Chicago last year to finish where he started after a convincing phone call with head coach Matt Nagy.
In an interview with Barstool Sports’ Pardon My Take podcast, Olsen said he received a call from Nagy after he and the Panthers mutually parted ways last winter. The 36-year-old left the conversation feeling optimistic that the Bears would sign him, but the reunion never came to fruition.
I talked to Matt Nagy – he called me with the GM [Ryan Pace] and we talked for like 45 minutes on the phone. They’re asking me questions about routes and ‘what kind of systems you played in, would you be comfortable with code words versus digits, what did you do on your backside routes, what was your leverage reads?’ All that stuff.
So I hang up and I say to my wife, ‘babe, I think they really like me and want to sign me! How cool would it be if life came full circle and we could finish up my career in Chicago? That would be so sick.’
Long story short, they were like ‘we don’t have enough money.’ So I go and sign in Seattle. Day one of [expletive] free agency, they sign Jimmy Graham. They paid him more than I wanted!
When they signed Jimmy, I was like those guys – they used me. They took me on a really cheap date, picked my brain for everything I knew and then just gave me an Uber and sent me on my way.
When Olsen officially hit the market last offseason, he said the Bears had not reached out at the time when he had visits scheduled with multiple teams, though he was hoping they would. His call with the Bears may have come after those comments, who were clearly in need of help at the tight end position heading into the 2020 offseason.
Olsen signed with the Seattle Seahawks on a one-year, $7 million deal in February of last year. Pace and the Bears wound up signing Graham to a two-year, $16 million when free agency began in March. Olsen’s cap hit was roughly $6.9 million in 2020, while Graham’s was $6 million.
Olsen played in just 11 games for Seattle, totaling 24 receptions for 239 yards and one touchdown. He missed five weeks due to a plantar fascia tear. He ended up retiring after the season, leaving the NFL to focus on a career in broadcasting and was recently in the news after his son TJ successfully underwent a heart transplant.
Graham, meanwhile, played in all 16 games and totaled 50 catches for 456 yards and eight touchdowns. He was a key contributor in redzone situations for the Bears in 2020, and will likely continue to be a focal point for the 2021 season.
Were the Bears seriously interested in Olsen’s services heading into last season? Or were they simply doing their due diligence and wanted to pick the brain of one of the best tight ends of the 2010s?
Though Olsen coming back to Chicago would have made for a great story, it’s clear the Bears made the better move signing Graham. But that won’t change the fact that Olsen is still the one player many wish have stuck around a little longer.
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