Greg Olsen 'Re-Energized,' Ready to Make Instant Impact for Seahawks

Despite learning a new playbook and connecting with new teammates amid difficult circumstances, Olsen feels recharged in Seattle and didn't sign a one-year deal to simply play the role of "big brother."

Unlike most players in today's NFL, Greg Olsen understands how to prepare for an upcoming season without the benefits of OTAs and minicamps from prior experience.

Entering his second season with the Panthers in 2011, owners locked out players when the NFL and NFL Players Association couldn't come to an agreement on a new collective bargaining agreement. For 18 weeks, players were restricted from seeing doctors, working out at team facilities, and communicating with coaches among other things.

While circumstances this year are far different amid the COVID-19 pandemic - it remains unknown when or if football will resume this year - Olsen believes he'll be more than ready to go when the time comes to start practicing with his new Seahawks teammates for the first time.

“You can’t travel a whole lot,” Olsen said. “There’s no reason to miss your training,... there’s no excuse. You are in a rush to go nowhere.”

Following his release from Carolina, Olsen met with three teams back in February as he combed through options to continue his playing career. The 35-year old ultimately settled on Seattle and signed a one-year deal, though he admitted it wasn't an easy decision.

Two other suitors - Washington and Buffalo - offered a sense of familiarity for Olsen with several coaches, including coach Ron Rivera, who previously worked with him at previous stops in Chicago and Carolina. The only two tight end coaches he's played for in the NFL, Pete Hoener and Rob Boras, serve the same roles for the Redskins and Bills respectively.

Comparing this latest recruitment to when he chose to sign with Miami coming out of high school, Olsen said it was difficult to tell people he respected greatly such as Rivera and Hoener that he wouldn't be joining their team.

"It was hard to call my old tight end coach [for] nine years in Carolina and call Pete and tell him I'm going somewhere else. Those were hard conversations, I really went back and forth," Olsen commented, indicating he spoke with current and former Seahawks before reaching his decision. "At the end of the day, between what coach Carroll has built here, the consistency and enthusiasm... it really solidified a lot of the kind of thoughts that I had about what the organization stood for and what they were all about."

Citing Russell Wilson's presence under center as well as the culture implemented by coach Carroll as main selling points, Olsen simply couldn't pass up on the chance to join the Seahawks. He feels "re-energized" learning new terminology in a new offense for the first time in years, even with install being done in two hour virtual meetings.

Coming off a respectable bounce back season in which he caught 52 receptions for 597 yards and two touchdowns in 14 games, Olsen won't shy away from mentoring younger tight ends such as Will Dissly and fourth-round pick Colby Parkinson. But he didn't come to Seattle to play the role of "big brother" either and made it clear to reporters that he didn't sign the dotted line just to "collect a paycheck."

“I know I can play. I know what I’ve been able to achieve, but there are still some things that I haven’t been able to achieve,” Olsen remarked. “That was my main message to the teams that reached out... I’m looking to go somewhere and win and perform at a high level and contribute."

In Seattle, Olsen will join forces with Dissly, Parkinson, Jacob Hollister, and Luke Willson, forming a deep stable of tight ends that matches up well against any other team in the NFC. Even with all of the talent around him, however, he doesn't have any intentions of taking a back seat to anyone in his 14th NFL season and expects to be a major contributor right away.

While broadcasting remains in Olsen's future, as evidenced by his brief run as a color commentator in the XFL this spring, he still loves the game and feels he has much left to give to a contender like Seattle. Regardless of when the league gives teams the green light to resume practicing, after surviving the lockout years ago, he'll show up in fantastic shape ready to make plays and instantly click with Wilson.

"I know if I can do it at 35, the 25-year olds better be ready to do it."