Greg Olsen’s time with the Carolina Panthers comes to an end after 9 seasons

Greg Olsen’s career with the Carolina Panthers is over.

The Panthers and the veteran tight end announced Thursday that they mutually agreed to part ways.

The move comes amidst much speculation that Olsen would either retire this offseason and begin a career in broadcasting or possibly join another team, such as Washington with former head coach Ron Rivera and former tight ends coach Pete Hoener. Olsen is a 13-year NFL veteran, including the last nine seasons with the Panthers. With the announcement, the tight end made it clear that he is not yet retiring from football.

“Today, I had the opportunity to sit down with (general manager) Marty Hurney and have a great conversation regarding my future with the organization. The team and I are both on the same page that it is best we go in different directions for now,” Olsen said in his statement. “On the field, I will always 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.

“Off the field is where my family felt the warmest embrace. In 2012, upon the news breaking regarding the challenges our son would face, the entire Carolina community wrapped their arms around us in support. My wife Kara and I will be forever grateful for the love and prayers shared with us since that time.

“Regardless of what path we choose, I will always be a Carolina Panther.”

Olsen, 34, was due around $11.7 million dollars in 2020, the final year of his contract. The Panthers will have to trade or cut him to remove him from the roster, but cannot do so until after the Super Bowl.

Considered among the best tight ends in NFL history, Olsen had a historic career with the Panthers. He will leave as the team’s all-time leading tight end in receiving yards (6,463), receptions (524) and 100-yard receiving games (10). In terms of Panthers receiving records, he ranks third all-time in yards and receptions behind Steve Smith and Muhsin Muhammad, and fourth in receiving touchdowns (39).

Olsen was especially dynamic on the field with Cam Newton. Both joined the team in 2011 with Newton being drafted first overall by Carolina and Olsen coming via a trade with the Bears in exchange for a third-round pick. The tight end spent the first four years of his career in Chicago after they drafted him 31st overall in the 2007 NFL draft.

Since 2011, Olsen ranks fourth among TEs in receiving yards (6,463), fifth in receiving touchdowns (39) and third in receiving first downs (340). He had three straight 1,000-plus yard receiving seasons from 2014-16, becoming the first tight end in NFL history to do so. During Olsen’s first six seasons with the Panthers, he did not miss a game. Over the last three years, he missed 18 combined.

Prior to his final game in Carolina, Olsen said he was treating it as if it was his last with the Panthers and in the NFL. He had 25-30 family and friends in attendance at Bank of America Stadium and a tribute to him played on the monitor before the conclusion of the game. After, he spoke of how his one regret was not being able to win the Super Bowl, especially with the team’s run to the game in 2015.

“We’d just go back in time in a minute and try that again,” Olsen said. “It’s really the only thing in my career, I wasn’t able to check that box. But sometimes things aren’t fairytales, it’s the way it goes.”

“Consistency is the word that comes to mind when I think about Greg,” Panthers owner David Tepper said in a statement “A leader, great teammate, unbelievable family man and true professional. Greg brought passion and an intense, detailed work ethic to the stadium every day. As the ‘Jersey’ guy on the team, it was good to get to know Greg over the past two years and he will be remembered as one the best Panthers to ever play here. Greg and Kara’s work in the community continues to positively impact so many families in our city and the Carolinas.”

Helping out in the community has always been a priority for Olsen, especially pediatric care. He was twice named as the Panthers’ finalist for the Walter Payton Man of the Year award. Olsen and his wife, Kara, established The HEARTest Yard fund as part of the Greg Olsen Foundation after one of his twin sons, T.J., was born with hypoplastic left heart syndrome, a congenital heart disease.

The family has done significant charity work with the Levine’s Children Hospital, including donating $2.5 million last year to help build a pediatric cardiovascular and congenital heart outpatient clinic. The Olsens can often be seen making visits to the hospital and giving back to the community.

“Greg’s meant so much to this organization and we have a tremendous amount of respect for him,” Hurney said in a statement. “He earned a reputation as one of the best tight ends in the league and served as a great leader and team captain. As special as he was for us on the field, his impact on the community is just as impressive. We are proud that he wore a Panthers uniform.”

A career in television also awaits Olsen. He has worked as a football analyst for FOX, calling two NFL games and working for the network in other capacities. Olsen will be a part of the station’s pregame shows for the Super Bowl on Sunday.

“At this time I have not closed the door on any potential career options,” Olsen said in his statement. “I still have the love of football in my heart and will explore all opportunities presented to me.”

The Panthers will now be without two of their most impactful players both on and off the field with the retirement of Luke Kuechly earlier this month. Questions remain about quarterback Cam Newton’s future with the team as he has one year left on his deal. Carolina can save $19.1 million in cap space by cutting or trading Newton.

Olsen spoke on how his and Newton’s future may be aligned in Carolina back in December.

“The years (Newton and I) played together, there wasn’t anybody better than us,” Olsen said. “That’s just the reality of it. The run we had was as good as anybody, he’s been great for my career. If he came back, that’d be awesome, I think that would be great for the organization. How that impacts me, I just don’t know how all those things line up.”

The Olsen move is just the latest indicator that the Panthers are fully preparing for a rebuilding season under new head coach Matt Rhule and his staff. The new era for Carolina was made clear back in December after Tepper fired Rivera with four games remaining in the season.

“If you think something great gets built in one second, then that’s wrong. You shouldn’t expect it, fans shouldn’t expect it. I’m not talking about one year, I’m talking of a standard that will be built and sustained. If the fans are expecting something miraculous next year, listen it could happen,” Tepper said, “but you can’t count on that. There has to be a degree of patience to build sustained success. Sustained excellence.”