Greg Olsen has found his new career after football. The Seattle Seahawks tight end has signed a contract to be the No. 2 NFL television analyst for Fox Sports after he retires from the NFL. Olsen confirmed the news to ESPN after the New York Post first reported the deal. Olsen could start in 2021 as he signed a one-year, $7 million contract with the Seahawks back in February after spending nine seasons with the Carolina Panthers.
Once Olsen retires, the plan is to have him pair up with Kevin Burkhardt. ESPN reports if the Seahawks fail to make the playoffs, he could join the team during postseason play. Olsen has experience in the broadcast booth as was an analyst for XFL games earlier this year and also worked for Fox during Super Bowl week. Also, Olsen has was a guest analyst for Fox Sports when the Panthers were on a bye the last two years.
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In the meantime, Olsen is focused on the 2020 season, and when healthy, he’s one of the top tight ends in the league. In 2019, Olsen played in 14 games and posted 52 receptions for 597 yards and two touchdowns. His production was not as strong as it was in the past, due to a foot injury that slowed him down in 2017 and 2018. Olsen was let go from the Panthers when the team hired Matt Rhule to be the new head coach.
“The team and I are both on the same page that it is best we go in different directions for now,” Olsen said in a statement in January. He went on to say he will “cherish the nine seasons we shared together. The wins, the losses, standing at midfield holding the Halas Trophy as NFC champs. The reality of going to the Super Bowl was beyond words, as was the disappointment of falling short.”
Olsen now looks to be a top target for Russell Wilson, who led the Seahawks to the divisional round of the playoffs last year. When asked about Olsen, Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll said: “Really looking forward to Greg. We spent some time together here through this process and I was with him yesterday again when he was signing up, and he can’t help but make an impression about his smarts and his awareness and his resolve to be great and do something great and be a part of something.”
