The Seattle Seahawks signed veteran tight end Greg Olsen away from a potential gig as an announcer in February, pairing him with Will Dissly to create a formidable tight end duo heading into 2020.
Seattle followed that up by re-signing both Jacob Hollister and Luke Willson, and then adding two more tight ends, Colby Parkinson and Stephen Sullivan, via the NFL draft.
While Olsen’s job is still secure, the young additions will no doubt benefit from his veteran experience and mentorship, a role he is extremely comfortable taking on in his 14th NFL season.
“I’ve been used to being the old guy now for a while,” Olsen said on Tuesday. “That doesn’t really change much to me. I was very up front with the team, I’m always happy and willing to bring along young guys. When I was drafted in Chicago I had a lot of veterans, both tight ends and other positions that really looked out for me, they didn’t view me as a threat, they didn’t view me as someone trying to take their job. Let’s help bring everybody along, and those are things that I still cherish today and really appreciate.”
Olsen’s leadership skills were a big part of the reason he was brought into the mix, and no doubt contributed to the team’s decision to add a pair of tight ends who they feel can benefit from having him around in 2020.
“Greg [Olsen] is going to be such a good leader in this group, he’s been such a dynamic football player,” coach Pete Carroll said after the draft. “I would really hope that everybody is going to be better because he’s in this group. He is so versatile and can do so much and he understands the game with such great depth.”
However – Olsen isn’t just here to mentor his eventual replacements. He’s here to play football, and he feels very confident he can step up and contribute for this team right away. In fact, he doesn’t think his role as a mentor is worth anything unless he can back it up on the field.
“While I’m going to be an open book and share where I can share and help where I can help, I told the team ‘don’t bring me in if you just want me to be the big brother in the locker room,'” Olsen continued. “I’m here to play, first and foremost. I’m here to play, I’m here to perform at a high level and contribute. I’m a big believer that your voice doesn’t really matter if you can’t play. These guys don’t care what I did years ago. They want to know what can this guy do now, and I think the quickest way you can earn that respect and earn that validity in the locker room is by going out and playing and showing them what you can still do, and then the mentorship kinda comes from there.”
Olsen played in 14 games for Carolina last year, hauling in 52 receptions for 597 yards and two touchdowns, giving him 59 scores for his career.
The three-time Pro Bowler may not be as elite as he once was, but there’s plenty left in the tank, and his ability to contribute on the field and help mentor Seattle’s young tight ends off of it will be a huge part of their success in 2020.
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