Greg Olsen’s nation-wide tour of potential landing spots officially commenced Wednesday afternoon at One Bills Drive.
The Buffalo Bills hosted the veteran tight end on a free-agent visit Wednesday, per NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero, Olsen’s first since being released by the Carolina Panthers earlier this week.
Free-agent TE Greg Olsen arrives in Buffalo today to begin his first visit with the #Bills, source said. Olsen has said he'll take several visits to gather info before making a decision.
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) February 5, 2020
Olsen’s visit with the Bills is likely preliminary, as according to Pelissero, the 34-year-old will visit numerous teams before making a decision.
Though a decision likely won’t be made in the immediate future, the idea of seeing the two-time All-Pro ultimately land in Buffalo is not far-fetched.
It likely felt like a high school reunion when Olsen arrived at the Bills’ facilities Wednesday, as Buffalo’s front office and coaching staff are largely made up of people whom Olsen has some familiarity with.
Bills’ head coach Sean McDermott served as the Panthers’ defensive coordinator for six of Olsen’s nine years in Carolina. General manager Brandon Beane was the Panthers’ Director of Football Operations when the team acquired Olsen from the Chicago Bears in 2011.
Combine this familiarity with Buffalo’s need for production at the tight end position, and you may have a match made in heaven.
Though the Bills have youth at tight end, they don’t have a truly impactful player at the position. Buffalo’s tight end group combined for just 604 receiving yards in the 2019 season.
Olsen, while playing with a myriad of below-average quarterbacks, tallied 597 receiving yards.
He also knows what it’s like to play in an offense led by a tall, athletic quarterback with a rocket attached to his right shoulder. Olsen’s best years as a pass-catcher came with Cam Newton as his signal-caller, with the tight end besting the 1,000-receiving yard mark from 2014-2016.
Though Olsen is aging and has a documented history of foot injuries, he proved that he can still be productive in the 2019 campaign. Combine his demonstrated production with his locker room presence, and you have a player whom many teams – including the Bills – are incredibly interested in.
The money that Olsen demands on the open market remains to be seen, but should it choose too, Buffalo could likely match any offer he receives. According to OverTheCap, the Bills have $80 million in cap space, the third-highest total in the league.
Regardless of how Olsen’s Wednesday stop in Buffalo transpires, don’t expect him to leave the facility with a deal. He’s reportedly scheduled visits with the Seattle Seahawks and Washington Redskins, who are led by his former head coach in Ron Rivera, for later in the week.
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