Report: Two networks want Panthers’ Olsen to join analyst team. Will his plans change?
A report published on Wednesday morning by the New York Post stated that two major television networks are pursuing Carolina Panthers tight end Greg Olsen for an analyst role in 2019.
But the team’s plans for the 2019 season continue to include Olsen as a key piece of the Panthers’ offense, as they have since he had surgery in December to repair his re-fractured right foot.
According to the Post, both ESPN and FOX want to bring Olsen into their broadcasting teams, which would effectively end his playing career.
Olsen, 33, became the first tight end in NFL history to record three consecutive 1,000-yards receiving seasons from 2014-16 and is a staple within the Panthers organization. But he has struggled with foot injuries since 2017 and has had two surgeries to repair a Jones fracture and re-fracture in his right foot
The most recent of the two medical procedures was in December, in which Olsen received a bone graft. He has since been rehabilitating, and the Panthers have been expecting him to return in 2019.
A league source told the Observer on Wednesday afternoon that Olsen is regularly working out on his own and continuing his rehabilitation at the Panthers’ facilities, which, minus the rehabilitation, is his normal routine in the offseason.
Olsen’s contract with Carolina extends through the 2020 season. He has long been interested in pursuing a career in NFL broadcasting once his football career ends, and has certainly gotten some quality broadcasting and guest analyst reps over the past two years.
He joined ESPN’s “Postseason NFL Countdown” show in Atlanta for Super Bowl LIII, his second consecutive Super Bowl Sunday guest broadcast, and helped call the Week 11 game between the Vikings and the Rams (he was on injured reserve at the time) in 2017.
But the sentiment within the Panthers’ organization is that Olsen is not quite ready to retire, particularly in light of a disappointing 2018 season. Olsen re-fractured his foot in Week 1, attempted to rehabilitate it for the next several weeks and returned to the field. But he suffered a season-ending foot injury unrelated to the previous re-fracture in Week 14 and finished the year on injured reserve.
The Panthers have recently parted ways with several players over the age of 30, with the desire to give younger players more opportunity. The team notified longtime linebacker Thomas Davis and veteran safety Mike Adams that their contracts would not be renewed, and it released veteran nickelback Captain Munnerlyn. Future Hall of Fame defensive end Julius Peppers also announced his retirement in January.
But in Olsen’s case, the feeling is that the three-time Pro-Bowler still can be a big piece of the Panthers’ offense in 2019.
Olsen echoed that sentiment in December, after his second surgery.
“I still feel like I can play at a high level,” he said. “Obviously I said that before the (2018) season, too, and it didn’t exactly work out. It’s been a frustrating two years, no question about it.”
Olsen also said the second surgery was a long-term solution to health and a return to the field — though it historically takes longer to recover from, which is why he opted to have it after the second fracture, not the first.
“This one is a little more of the final (option),” he said. “You can’t really come back in (during) the season, so last year when I really wanted to come back as fast as I could, we knew obviously there was a small percentage of guys who have had re-fractures or issues again.
“This time it was the full deal. Typically, every guy I’ve talked to that has had this second followup one kind of fixes it for good.”
This story was originally published February 27, 2019 at 4:03 PM.
