Greg Olsen doesn’t sign with Buffalo Bills, reaches deal with Seahawks

CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA - DECEMBER 29: Greg Olsen #88 of the Carolina Panthers during the second half during their game against the New Orleans Saints at Bank of America Stadium on December 29, 2019 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by Jacob Kupferman/Getty Images)
CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA - DECEMBER 29: Greg Olsen #88 of the Carolina Panthers during the second half during their game against the New Orleans Saints at Bank of America Stadium on December 29, 2019 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by Jacob Kupferman/Getty Images) /
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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.

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.

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.

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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.