Greg Olsen, one of the best tight ends of his era, is about to hit the open market. The tight end announced that he won’t be back with Carolina in 2020 and ESPN’s Adam Schefter added that Olsen plans to join a contender. Olsen certainly isn’t the player he once was, but he still has enough in the tank to bring value to the right organization.
-8️⃣8️⃣ pic.twitter.com/GJlsw0p3gb
— Greg Olsen (@gregolsen88) January 30, 2020
2020 Free Agency: Greg Olsen Team Fits
New England Patriots
Assuming Tom Brady comes back to New England, the Patriots should remain championship contenders. New England had arguably the worst group of tight ends in the league last year. With Rob Gronkowski retired, Brady spent the season throwing to Matt LaCosse, Ryan Izzo, and a 39-year old Ben Watson. Olsen wouldn’t make the tight end room any younger, but he’d easily be the most talented guy on the roster.
Adding Olsen doesn’t mean that the Patriots wouldn’t look to add another tight end. Even if Olsen stays healthy for a full season, he’s not a long-term fix for the position. Tight ends typically need one or two years to fully transition to the NFL, so Olsen can serve as a veteran mentor for somebody like Cole Kmet.
Green Bay Packers
The Green Bay Packers have not been able to find a reliable weapon not named Davante Adams for quite some time. Over the past few seasons, Aaron Rodgers hasn’t had a dependable secondary target in the passing game. Rodgers is still a good quarterback, but he’s not the elite player he once was. Jimmy Graham wasn’t the answer, but Olsen might be. Based on recent tape, Olsen appears to have more left in his tank than Graham and could be a solid underneath option in the passing game. At the very least, his veteran intellect should help him stay on the same page as Rodgers, which has been something of an issue for Green Bay’s younger receivers.
Seattle Seahawks
Will Dissly is a good tight end, but he just can’t stay on the field. The former fourth-round pick suffered an Achilles injury early in 2019 after returning from a patellar tendon injury in 2018. These are both serious injuries with long-term side effects, and the human body can only take so many of these types of hits. Dissly should be back for the start of 2020, but who knows how he’ll look and how long he can stay on the field.
Jacob Hollister did an admirable job filling in for Dissly, but he’s nothing more than a role player. Russell Wilson can make just about anyone a productive part of the offense, but Olsen offers more receiving upside and is a considerably better blocker. That alone makes him a better fit for Pete Carroll’s preferred run-heavy style of play.
Chicago Bears
This is admittedly stretching the definition of “contender”, but the Chicago Bears have most of the pieces to put together a championship-caliber roster. This team should have one of the best defenses in the league and a star receiver in Allen Robinson. Trey Burton didn’t live up to expectations in Chicago and Olsen should be a clear upgrade. If they solidify the tight end position, then Chicago is just a quarterback away from legitimate championship potential.
Of course, the quarterback is a pretty large part of the equation. Mitchell Trubisky simply is not the answer at quarterback, but the Bears reportedly want to stick with him for another season. If Chicago makes a move and signs someone like Tom Brady in free agency, then the Bears might entice Greg Olsen to come to Chicago.
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