Greg Olsen Intends to ‘Cement My Legacy’ With Seattle Seahawks
Greg Olsen still has unfinished business left in the NFL.
One of the greatest tight ends in NFL history, Olsen held off on retiring to sign with the Seattle Seahawks earlier this year. Many thought the 35-year-old Olsen came back for one more year in hopes of finally winning a Super Bowl.
Capturing a Lombardi Trophy is only part of the equation. In a recent interview, Olsen admitted he feels he needs to ‘cement my legacy’ with the Seahawks.
Greg Olsen has had a stellar NFL career
Greg Olsen, quietly, has built a Pro Football Hall of Fame resume and established himself as one of the best tight ends in league history.
Across 13 seasons with the Chicago Bears and Carolina Panthers, Olsen has 718 receptions, 8,444 yards and 59 touchdowns to his name. Olsen made three consecutive Pro Bowls from 2014-16.
Olsen also earned Second-team All-Pro nods in 2014 and 2015. Carolina made the Super Bowl in that second season, but lost to Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos.
Olsen has 41 career receptions for 631 yards and three touchdowns in the postseason. He totaled 16 catches, 231 yards, and a touchdown during that 2016 run to the Super Bowl.
Although Olsen doesn’t have the accolades that legends like Rob Gronkowski or Tony Gonzalez do, he’s nonetheless been an excellent tight end for over a decade.
Olsen joined the Seattle Seahawks this offseason
Greg Olsen signed a one-year contract to join Russell Wilson and the Seattle Seahawks in February.
Seattle has looked for a game-changing tight end throughout Wilson’s nine seasons. Jimmy Graham filled that role at times and made two Pro Bowls with the Seahawks, but he never resembled the player he was in New Orleans.
It may be too much to ask Olsen for a 1,000-yard season in 2020. But his veteran presence should help the Seahawks in their pursuit of returning to the Super Bowl.
Greg Olsen hopes to ‘cement my legacy’ in Seattle
Greg Olsen has still never won a Super Bowl. Signing with the Seahawks, at least on paper, certainly puts him in a position to break that streak.
That wasn’t the only reason why Olsen, who will join the Fox broadcast booth when he officially retires, returned for the 2020 season.
In a recent interview on 710 ESPN in Seattle, Olsen explained why he put retirement — and a full-time broadcasting gig — off for the 2020 season.
“I just feel like I still have game left, I thought I still had things to prove — both to myself and I thought I had some work to do to cement myself with my legacy as a player. … When the opportunity came to play out here, it was just a really unique opportunity and a really unique circumstance to come out with a winning franchise and a proven head coach and proven quarterback.”
Olsen’s points are all valid, especially his take on the quarterback situation. Although Cam Newton was an elite quarterback at his best in Carolina, Russell Wilson is on a Hall of Fame-pace.
Seattle opens its season on Sept. 13 at the Atlanta Falcons. Fantasy football players should play close attention to that matchup, as Olsen has 67 receptions, 827 receptions, and seven touchdowns against the Falcons in 16 career games.
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