Greg Olsen Focused on 'Being Best Player, Best Teammate' with Seahawks

Despite battling through injuries since the 2017 campaign, Olsen isn't ready to put a date on his retirement just yet. For now, he's focused on helping Seattle surge back to the Super Bowl for the first time since 2015.

After spending 13 years in the league, most players would've likely been against starting out fresh with a new team, but that isn’t the case with tight end Greg Olsen.

Back in February, Olsen and the Panthers mutually parted ways after nine seasons together. Instead of hanging up his cleats and becoming a full-time commentator, the three-time Pro Bowler decided to sign a one-year, $7 million contract with the Seahawks.

While some experts believe this could be Olsen’s final contract, the 35-year old tight end revealed that his sole focus is on this season and he isn’t thinking about next year or his future plans after his playing days are over.

“All my time and energy is really about having the best season I can have this year. I haven't drawn any conclusions about what those opportunities are down the road. I haven't put a concrete ending to my career,” Olsen discussed. “My approach is, I’m going to go out and try to have the best season I can this year, as a team and individually, and what happens after that season we’ll take it again and re-evaluate like we have the last couple years”

Over the last three seasons, Olsen has been riddled with injuries, preventing him from playing a full season and earning a Pro Bowl nomination since 2016. He battled foot problems in 2017 and 2018 before missing two games last year with a concussion.

Despite these recent injury woes, the 6-foot-5 tight end has continued to take things one season at a time, admitting he won’t let his future career as a broadcaster affect his performance on the field this season. Once the 2020 campaign ends, that’s when the former Panther will decide on what comes next.

“I think when guys get to my stage of their career, it's really 'let's take it one at a time.' I think you start looking too far ahead and you start trying to plan the future too much and it can really become a distraction and can really kind of distort it,” Olsen detailed. “So right now, I'm trying to be the best player, the best teammate that I can be for 2020 and anything past that we’ll kind of re-evaluate next year and go forward from there.”

During his final season in Carolina, Olsen played in 14 regular season games and produced 52 receptions for 597 yards, two touchdowns, a 63.4 percent catch rate, and averaged 11.5 yards per catch.

From Seattle's perspective, the organization is very hopeful that the former Miami graduate will be able to improve upon his production catching passes from backup quarterbacks in Carolina last year and form an excellent connection with superstar quarterback Russell Wilson this season.

Regardless of how long Olsen stays in the Pacific Northwest, he prides himself on making a good first impression in the locker room. Whenever training camp begins, the former first-round pick will be looking to leave a lasting impression on the Seahawks’ tight end corps, primarily by teaching by example.

“I hope they walk away and say this guy takes his job seriously, this guy cares about his teammates, and this guy’s all in to win, and this guy’s all in at everything he does, and if they say that, everything else will take care of itself."