Greg Olsen will be a free agent soon, and the New England Patriots need to upgrade at tight end. So, the logical question is -- should the two sides have mutual interest?
Olsen, who will mutually part ways with the Carolina Panthers at some point, is still interested in playing in 2020, his agent Drew Rosenhaus recently told ESPN's Adam Schefter.
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The 34-year-old tight end was on the FOX pregame show Sunday ahead of the Kansas City Chiefs beating the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl LIV. When the subject of the Patriots needing a tight end came up, Olsen gave a pretty interesting response.
Wait, they're trying to get Rob Gronkowski back? Interesting.
The Patriots lost the future Hall of Fame tight end to retirement last March, and the team never came close to replicating his offensive production. Tight ends Benjamin Watson, Matt LaCosse and Ryan Izzo combined to tally 36 receptions and two touchdowns. Gronkowski posted 47 receptions and three touchdowns in 2018 and he was hampered by injuries most of that final season.
New England Patriots
Olsen isn't a dominant tight end at this stage of his career, but he played pretty well this past season despite the Panthers being forced to start a backup quarterback nearly the entire campaign. He finished with 52 receptions for 597 yards and two touchdowns in 14 games. Olsen has never won a Super Bowl, so playing for the Patriots would give him a chance for his first championship ring.
The Patriots waited too long to try and replace Gronkowski last offseason and it cost them in 2019. They didn't have a legitimate receiving threat at the position and also lacked a reliable red zone target. The Pats must act much quicker in 2020, and Olsen is a great option.