The Buffalo Bills found out on Tuesday that they would not be adding tight end Greg Olsen. The former Pro Bowl tight end elected instead to sign with the Seattle Seahawks.
Shortly after the Super Bowl, the Carolina Panthers released tight end Greg Olsen and he almost immediately began looking for a new team. Olsen’s first stop was with the Buffalo Bills, a team that has a number of former connections to his time in Carolina including head coach Sean McDermott and general manager Brandon Beane.
However, those connections weren’t enough to persuade him to join the Bills as Olsen decided to sign a one-year deal worth $7 million with the Seattle Seahawks, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
Former Panthers’ TE Greg Olsen is signing a one-year, $7 million deal that includes $5.5M gtd with the Seahawks, per source. Olsen visited and negotiated with Buffalo, Seattle and Washington but felt most comfortable with the Seahawks.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) February 18, 2020
As Schefter notes, the Seahawks ended up beating out the Bills, as well as the Redskins, for the former Pro Bowl tight end. In a tweet shortly after breaking the news, Schefter hints that the deciding factor could have come down to the quarterback.
Greg Olsen really liked Buffalo and Washington, and strongly considered both. But the lure of playing with Russell Wilson in Seattle was just too strong. Olsen takes a 1-year, $7 million deal with the Seahawks.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) February 18, 2020
While Josh Allen took a step forward in his career this past season, it is hard to argue with Olsen’s decision to go play with Russell Wilson. The Seahawks’ quarterback seems to be in the discussion for MVP on a yearly basis and is one of the top quarterbacks in the league.
If Olsen had elected to join the Buffalo Bills, the coaching staff would have tried to figure out how to incorporate him into this offense along with Dawson Knox. The challenge would have been how to give Olsen the playing time he wants but not limit Knox’s development. While it could be done, it certainly would have taken some creativity on Brian Daboll’s part.
While it would have been a boost to add Greg Olsen to this offense, the tight end position is still in good shape with Dawson Knox, Tommy Sweeney and even Tyler Kroft, who could now be part of the Buffalo Bills’ plan in 2020.