It’s hardly a secret the Chicago Bears need help at the tight end position. When none of the players on your roster reach 100 yards receiving in a full season, that becomes obvious. So when the Carolina Panthers announced they were parting ways with Greg Olsen, there was a surge of hope. It made so much sense. Olsen had a long track record of success as a pass catcher. At 34-years old he finished just shy of 600 yards in 2019 despite Cam Newton being injured most of the year. He has ties to the Bears as a former 1st round pick.
It seems like all GM Ryan Pace had to do was pick up the phone.
Apparently he couldn’t even do that. Olsen called in to his old friends Waddle & Silvy on ESPN 1000 to discuss what’s next. When asked the inevitable question about possible interest from the Bears, his reply was equal parts shocking and disappointing.
“In my heart I was hoping they would have been one of the first calls. But to my knowledge we have not heard from them. Whether or not they do obviously is hard to say. The folks back up there in the organization are very different from when I was there ten years ago. But that would be extremely interesting and exciting for me to potentially finish where I started.
So, it’s hard to say. I don’t know their coaching staff well. I don’t know what their direction is heading forward but I’ve always had a ton of respect for the McCaskeys and what they mean to the league and that city. My phone is on.”
Lack of interest in Greg Olsen fits the MO of Pace
The obvious question here is why? It makes so much sense. Olsen is a receiving threat at one of the most critical positions in Matt Nagy’s offense. With him set to turn 35, his price tag would also be fairly cheap. Yet nothing. After the initial wave of surprise, one starts to gain a bit of understanding. Looking back all the way to 2015, Pace has operated with a fairly consistent approach in free agency during his run.
That is sign players who are on the younger end of the spectrum. Preferably somewhere under 30.
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He almost never signs guys who are well above that line. The only notable exception came in 2017 when he signed 32-year old safety Quintin Demps. That move blew up in the Bears’ faces when the veteran made it just three games before suffering a season-ending injury. So in this context, one can at least understand why the team hasn’t moved on Olsen. Especially given the tight end’s recent history of health issues.
With other teams already making pushes and his price going up, it seems the Bears are content to find their solutions elsewhere.
