Greg Olsen Making Rapid Recovery, Could Return to Action for Seahawks Soon

Sidelined for Seattle's past two games with a plantar fascia tear in his left foot, Olsen appears to have a realistic shot at returning from the injured reserve list before the end of the regular season.

When Greg Olsen exited the Seahawks 28-21 win over the Cardinals on November 19 with a significant foot injury, the veteran tight end's season - and potentially career - looked to be over.

In the middle of running a route during a pass play in the fourth quarter, Olsen tore the plantar fascia in his left foot, eventually needing to be helped off the field by trainers and carted to the locker room. Such an injury can often take several months to heal, casting doubt about his ability to return this season.

But one day after suffering the injury, Olsen made it clear on social media this wasn't going to be his "final moment." After sitting out two games, don't count him out on suiting up again just yet.

Speaking with reporters on Monday, Seahawks coach Pete Carroll indicated Olsen is well ahead of schedule in his recovery and didn't rule out the possibility he could return sooner than expected.

“He’s surprising us the way he looks already,” Carroll said. “Greg’s making a big turnaround. So, who’s to say how long it will take, we’re not going to set any limits on him. He’s doing some good stuff.”

As Carroll noted in his post-game press conference in the wake of Olsen's injury, the 35-year old veteran has rehabbed the same injury previously in his other foot when he was playing for the Panthers. Having experienced rehab from a fascia tear before seems to be benefiting him this time around, giving him a realistic chance at being activated before the end of the season.

Currently on injured reserve, Olsen won't be eligible to be activated to the 53-man roster until next week when Seattle travels cross country to play the Washington Football Team. Though it's unlikely he will be ready to play that quickly, based on Carroll's update, there appears to be a decent chance he could return for divisional games against Los Angeles and San Francisco later this month.

Starting 10 games for the Seahawks this season, Olsen leads all tight ends with 23 receptions for 224 yards and a touchdown. While his production hasn't been quite what the team hoped for when he was signed to a one-year deal in February, the three-time Pro Bowler could still prove quite valuable heading towards the postseason.

While rehabbing his injury with sights set on returning to the field, Olsen and his wife opened the HEARTest Yard Congenital Heart Center, a pediatric heart center in Charlotte, North Carolina. The couple was inspired to launch the facility after their son T.J. was born with hypoplastic left heart syndrome, a congenital heart disease.