In the months that have followed the 2017 season, there has been persistent chatter concerning Carolina Panther tight end Greg Olsen's future with the franchise. He is set to play in the final year of his three-year, $22.5 million deal.
All of this is only heightened by his strong interest in possibly taking a broadcast job with ESPN down the road. However, Olsen has once again voiced his desire to play with the Panthers beyond this season on a new deal and finish his career out with the organization, according to David Newton of ESPN.
“My preference would be to continue to play,” Olsen told ESPN.com as the Panthers completed the second day of offseason workouts. “I still love playing for the Panthers and I would prefer to finish my career at Carolina. I wouldn't see myself love to go play elsewhere.
“But this is the last year of my contract. A lot of that plays into what the future holds. Where we are in all of that, I'm not really sure. As the offseason plays out, it would be nice to kind of know what my future is past this year here in Carolina. That would make a lot of the other decisions easier.”
At this point, there is no clarity as to what lies ahead of Olsen in Carolina beyond this upcoming season. Much of this will hinge on how he plays, but also how committed he is to continuing his career after 2018. The looming ESPN gig could play a major part in how much longer he plays, as Olsen admitted.
“Obviously, ESPN, that Monday Night gig is a big deal,” he said. “You don't just easily dismiss that.”
Olsen clearly has plenty left in the tank, as he proved after returning from his foot injury late in the 2017 campaign. He is the first tight end in NFL history to have three consecutive 1,000 receiving yard seasons prior to last year.
This is certainly a fluid situation, but if Olsen can demonstrate that he is still playing at a high level, there is no reason to believe that a new deal won't be worked out down the line.
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