Tight end Greg Olsen reportedly signing 1-year deal with Seahawks

The Seahawks made their first splash of the 2020 offseason Tuesday, agreeing to terms with free agent tight end Greg Olsen, a three-time Pro Bowler. ESPN’s Adam Schefter was the first to report the signing, with the Seahawks confirming late Thursday afternoon.

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Per Schefter, Olsen chose the Seahawks over the Buffalo Bills and the Washington Redskins. Schefter reports that Olsen will sign a one-year deal worth up to $7 million and that $5.5 million of that total is guaranteed.

We're excited to have agreed to terms with TE @gregolsen88! 🙌

» https://t.co/q9Jlp99Ypx pic.twitter.com/qZh4g5IxuN

— Seattle Seahawks (@Seahawks) February 19, 2020

Olsen, who turns 35 next month, was a first-round pick by the Chicago Bears in 2007 after starring at the University of Miami. Prior to the 2011 season, the Bears traded Olsen to the Carolina Panthers, where Olsen played until this past season.

It was reported recently that Olsen was visiting just three teams – Seattle, Washington and Buffalo – and that he visited the Seahawks last Wednesday. Olsen has also been dabbling in broadcasting, having done commentary for the XFL the last two weeks and NFL games in recent seasons while he wasn’t playing.

The Seahawks make sense for Olsen as he is one of the most accomplished tight ends of his generation, but he has never won a Super Bowl, though he played in Super Bowl 50 with the Panthers when they lost to the Denver Broncos. Seattle also has the best quarterback of those three teams in Russell Wilson.

Olsen prompted some to believe Seattle was an ideal destination after he commented on a picture of Olsen’s former quarterback, Cam Newton, whispering in Wilson’s ear. The caption to the original picture asked people what Newton was whispering to Wilson, Olsen had the following response.

Olsen can still play 😜 https://t.co/u7YROpwq4u

— Greg Olsen (@gregolsen88) February 2, 2020

Wilson then responded with a photo of the two, adding further speculation. After Schefter’s report Tuesday, Wilson posted the following tweet.

This aged well.. https://t.co/hHIB4vDuln

— Russell Wilson (@DangeRussWilson) February 18, 2020

While with Carolina, Olsen emerged as one of the best tight ends in football. From 2014 to 2016, Olsen had over 1,000 yards in each of those three seasons and made the Pro Bowl each year. In his 13 NFL seasons, Olsen has 8,444 yards and 59 touchdowns and averages 11.8 yards per catch. His health has been a bit of a concern in recent years, as he played in just 16 games combined in 2017 and 2018 and missed two games last season.

Olsen joins a tight end room that has an up and coming player in Will Dissly and likely 2019 breakout player Jacob Hollister. Luke Willson is a free agent, Tyrone Swoopes is an exclusive-rights free agent and while Ed Dickson is currently on the roster for 2020, he is likely a cut candidate as he is set to make nearly $4 million next year after playing just 10 games over the last two seasons.

The addition of Olsen adds a big name to the Seahawks, which is what Wilson had been clamoring for this offseason – the addition of superstars to Seattle’s roster. Olsen, Dissly, Hollister and receivers DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett along with Wilson and returning running backs Chris Carson and Rashaad Penny could give Seattle one of the scarier offenses in the NFL in 2020.

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