Within hours of Greg Olsen being released by the Carolina Panthers, the former Pro Bowl tight end has a visit scheduled with the Buffalo Bills, according to reports.
As soon as reports began last week that the Carolina Panthers and Greg Olsen were going to part ways, the Buffalo Bills immediately became a logical landing spot for the veteran tight end.
On Monday, the Panthers made it official with the release of Greg Olsen and shortly after reports began to file in, including from ESPN’s Adam Schefter, that Olsen has a visit scheduled with the Bills.
Former Panthers’ TE Greg Olsen will visit the Bills and Redskins this week, per source. Buffalo’s GM Brandon Beane used to be with Carolinas, as did Washington’s HC Ron Rivera.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) February 3, 2020
The Bills, along with the Washington Redskins, both make a great deal of sense for Greg Olsen. In Buffalo, there is a familiarity with head coach Sean McDermott, general manager Brandon Beane and quarterback coach Ken Dorsey who all worked with Olsen in Carolina.
They also have tight end coach Rob Boras, who was Olsen’s tight end coach from his rookie season in 2007 to 2009.
As for the Redskins, Ron Rivera was his head coach with the Panthers from 2011 to 2019.
It will be interesting which team Olsen lands with, and if other teams become interested in the former Pro Bowl tight end. It wasn’t too long ago that Olsen was considered one of the best tight ends in the game with three straight seasons over 1,000 receiving yards from 2014 to 2016.
However, the question is how much the veteran has left in the tank at 34 years of age. This, combined with the fact that he has struggled the past three seasons to stay on the field, playing in 30 out of a possible 48 games, certainly should give both teams pause.
The decision for Olsen will come down to what he is looking for. If he wants a starting job than Washington provides that more than Buffalo.
If Olsen is looking to play on a team that will be competing for a playoff spot than the Bills make more sense. The downside is that he would have to accept a backup role and be more of a veteran presence in the locker room for younger tight ends like Dawson Knox and Tommy Sweeney.
Regardless of what decision he makes, it appears that Greg Olsen will not be without a team for very long.