As first reported by ESPN, veteran tight end Greg Olsen has agreed to a one-year contract to join the Seattle Seahawks instead of retiring to enter the broadcast booth as an analyst.
Olsen, 34, chose to ink the $7-million deal with the Seahawks after visiting with the Buffalo Bills and Washington Redskins.
A longtime Carolina Panther who spent the first four seasons of his career with the Chicago Bears, Olsen has caught 718 passes for 8,444 yards and 59 touchdowns during his 13-year NFL career. Last year with the Panthers, Olsen had 52 catches for 697 yards and two touchdowns.
This aged well.. https://t.co/hHIB4vDuln
— Russell Wilson (@DangeRussWilson) February 18, 2020
Though anything could happen, the move certainly looks like it will help Seattle remain in the mix as a Super Bowl contender in the NFC. Largely relying on a hodgepodge of players at tight end last season thanks to injuries, the Seahawks were still able to go 11-5 and advance to the Divisional Round of the playoffs.
Now, with Olsen in the fold, star quarterback Wilson will have a solid red-zone target who can also serve as a check-down option when deeper routes to receivers Tyler Lockett and DK Metcalf are covered.
As of now, the Seahawks (+1800) are the sixth-most favored team to win the Super Bowl behind the Chiefs (+550), 49ers (+700), Ravens (+800), Patriots (+800) and Saints (+1200). In eight seasons with Wilson under center, the Seahawks have never finished below .500 and have made the playoffs seven times, winning at least one game in six of those appearances.
In related news, veteran tight end Jason Witten, who caught 63 passes for 529 yards and four touchdowns in his return from a rocky hiatus as an analyst on ESPN’s Monday Night Football, said he’d like to return to the Dallas Cowboys but is open to playing for another team.
“I think I have to be,” Witten said. “Obviously, I’d love to finish it out here, but some of those things are not in your control.”
He’s played 16 seasons for the Cowboys, a franchise record.
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