Carolina catastrophe: A potential Olsen departure
By Nick Yon
According to reports, Carolina Panthers tight end Greg Olsen is preparing for life outside of football…
The Carolina Panthers remarkable tight end, Greg Olsen, is visiting ESPN in relation to the vacant Monday Night Football analyst job. Despite reports that he is committed to playing out his contract and will not be leaving Carolina prior to this season, his visit does raise serious concern.
First Reaction: Nah, Olsen isn’t leaving. No way, he is the rock on which Carolina stands. He won’t leave. It’s all good.
Then, upon further examination of the current situation and speculation that Olsen may also garner interest from FOX for a potential Thursday night gig.
Second Reaction: DON’T DO IT GREG! DON’T DO IT!
Despite this seemingly harmless visit, there should be some level of concern but not flat-out panic. The fact that Olsen is considering the MNF broadcasting position is relevant for two major reasons – his age and the money.
#Panthers TE Greg Olsen is auditioning for and ESPN broadcast job today, as @AndrewMarchand said… but sources say he has committed to play for Carolina for 2018 and beyond. This is about life after football, not next year.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 16, 2018
Age
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Despite his extremely excellent level of play, Olsen is 33-years old and coming off his least productive season to date. Except for the quarterback position, that’s an older age for any player in the NFL. Olsen could already be considering retirement and that’s before taking in that he is coming off of an injury.
In Week 2 of the 2017-2018 season, Olsen left the game due to a broken foot. He was out for several weeks following the injury and given this recent injury in addition to his age, Olsen has legitimate reasons to leave for the booth.
Money
Olsen has enjoyed a lucrative career on the field but could forfeit playing for the money. Sounds funny, but let’s consider MNF’s previous broadcaster: Jon Gruden. It took a whopping $100 million contract to get him out of the booth and onto the sideline again after nine seasons. According to Over the Cap, Olsen is set to make just $7.5 million. If it took Gruden $100 million to leave the booth, it begs the question how much ESPN was paying him.
Next: Panthers Free Agent Targets
Verdict
It’s extremely unlikely Olsen leaves this season. He is a man of his word and will likely play out his contract in Carolina and possibly for years to come. However, this visit does mean that finding his replacement is of paramount importance for general manager Marty Hurney, potentially as high as Round 2 of the 2018 NFL Draft or the first-round next year.