Tight end Greg Olsen is a hot commodity.
The 13-year vet and the Carolina Panthers went their separate ways last weekend. He did tell The Athletic that it was actually more so the Panthers didn’t want him anymore, and not so much that it was a “mutual” agreement.
But one team’s old tight end is another team’s treasure, it appears.
Soon after his release, a report surfaced that “multiple teams” would be interested in Olsen. Then it was discovered via later reports that the the Bills were one of three teams that would host Olsen (so far) on a free agent visit. The others are the Redskins and the Seahawks.
Good news: Olsen also confirmed that those three, including the one with the Bills, will happen.
“We’ve been blown away by the amount of teams that have called. We got those three visits set for right now,” Olsen said.
Bad news: There might be more competition than we know. Olsen said there’s also a “few other teams” he has talked to.
“I’m just gonna go gather as much information as I can, see what opportunities are out there, see what different situations are out there. And then I can lay it all on the table and decide what’s best,” he said.
In regard to connections, the Bills and Redskins stick out like a sore thumb for Olsen. Buffalo head coach Sean McDermott and general manager Brandon Beane spent years with Olsen in Carolina. As did recently hired Redskins coach Ron Rivera.
All those visits are set to play out this week at some point. Olsen said he’s heard from plenty of coaches he’s played for and hasn’t played for, and at this point, he still doesn’t have a preference until he sits down and speaks to teams.
“It’s so early in the process right now. We’re still hearing from different teams in different parts of the country in different states of their organizational development. New coaches. Old coaches. It’s kind of been a mixed bag,” Olsen said.
What do we know, though? McDermott very much covets the tight end. Prior to revamping his tight end position last season with the likes of Dawson Knox, Tommy Sweeney, Lee Smith and Tyler Kroft, McDermott said Olsen is the type of player he wants.
“Yeah, I liked it [in Carolina] when we were on offense, when it was third and about five, I knew we were going to go get a first down because we had Greg Olsen,” McDermott said last March.
One further thing that could be taken from Olsen’s comments? It doesn’t sound like he’s in a rush to make his decision, so get comfy.
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