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Olsen prefers the route that keeps him with B
Olsen prefers the route that keeps him with Bears
SEAN JENSEN ON THE BEARS .hideTime { DISPLAY: none}Feb 24, 2011 05:0
Toward the end of the 2010 season, when it was clear his statistics would be down in every key category, Bears tight end Greg Olsen provided a glimpse into his character.
During a three-game stretch, he hauled in just three passes for 20 yards. But the fourth-year player didn’t complain about his limited opportunities or question his role.
Instead, he highlighted his growth in other areas and the challenges of becoming a more complete tight end.
‘‘I’ve had a lot of fun growing into the offense,’’ Olsen told me then. ‘‘When you have so many roles, it makes it a lot of fun. Each week in practice, it’s a challenge to try and learn it all.’’
Olsen and I chatted alone for a while just outside the locker room, and one of the topics I didn’t write about then was his future. Olsen is entering the final year of his rookie deal, which is set to pay him a base salary of $900,000 — about $500,000 less than blocking tight end Brandon Manumaleuna. That doesn’t include a $1 million roster bonus Manumaleuna is scheduled to receive as part of a five-year, $15 million contract he signed last offseason that included $6.1 million in guarantees.
‘‘My No. 1 priority is that I stay for here for a long time,’’ Olsen said. ‘‘Hopefully, both sides feel that same way. But I know I do. I want to stay in Chicago.’’
I asked him if his contract status was on his mind at all.
‘‘To say it [isn’t] would be a lie,’’ he said. ‘‘It’s not what it’s all about, but it’s definitely a factor. But I’m confident that if I continue to play well and help our team win, then everything will take care of it itself.’’
Olsen insisted he wouldn’t issue any ultimatums to Bears management.
‘‘I’m not going to storm in and say this and that and the other thing,’’ he said. ‘‘I’m going to continue to work hard, try to be consistent and make the plays they ask me to and build on what I’ve done the last couple of years, and things will take care of themselves.’’
But a resolution could be complicated.
The collective bargaining agreement is set to expire March 3. A salary cap hasn’t been established, and the Bears already have a litany of expensive veterans on their tab. In addition, key players are set to hit the open market, including defensive tackle Anthony Adams.
And the team’s decision to sign two unrestricted free agents has created an awkward situation. When the Bears signed perennial Pro Bowl defensive end Julius Peppers, they also invested in two other veterans, Manumaleuna and running back Chester Taylor, who didn’t have breakout seasons. Their younger counterparts, Olsen and Matt Forte, are scheduled to make be paid less than those two in 2011.
Clearly Olsen deserves a raise, but how much?
The NFL’s highest-paid tight end is Vernon Davis, who signed a five-year extension with the San Francisco 49ers that averages $7.35 million per year. Brent Celek signed a six-year extension with the Philadelphia Eagles in December 2009 that averages about $5 million a year.
One positive is that Bears general manager Jerry Angelo has completed several deals with Drew Rosenhaus, one of the most prolific agents of NFL players.
But before he engages in any serious talks, Angelo needs to figure out what offensive coordinator Mike Martz plans to do with Olsen.
Martz traditionally hasn’t focused on the tight end in terms of moving the football. Davis, one of the NFL’s best overall athletes, even had a forgettable season under Martz in 2008 when Martz was the 49ers’ offensive coordinator. Olsen’s numbers dipped dramatically from 2009 to 2010; he caught 19 fewer passes and scored three fewer touchdowns.
Martz, though, doesn’t blame Olsen.
‘‘Greg’s numbers in the passing game are not what they could and probably should be for his abilities, but what we’ve done with him is he lines up at the line of scrimmage, and he’s the point of attack,’’ Martz said in January. ‘‘But he’s also lined up at fullback and has been a lead blocker. We line him up at wide receiver. He does so many things for us, and just by being able to do that flexibility, it puts a lot of pressure on the defense, though his numbers wouldn’t indicate that.’’
So the Bears will have to figure out what to do with Olsen. Unlike the situation with Forte, they at least have a promising young player behind Olsen: Kellen Davis.
But in an age when skill players care more about ‘I’ than ‘T-E-A-M,’ Olsen takes the right approach. So, too, it seems, does Davis.
‘‘There are a lot of guys who get a ton of catches a game, and granted everyone wants that,’’ Olsen said. ‘‘But there’s a difference between getting a lot of balls and catching balls that are meaningful. Guys around here understand that. It’s not how many but the ones that you get.’’
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‘‘My No. 1 priority is that I stay for here for a long time,’’ Olsen said. ‘‘Hopefully, both sides feel that same way. But I know I do. I want to stay in Chicago.’’
I asked him if his contract status was on his mind at all.
‘‘To say it [isn’t] would be a lie,’’ he said. ‘‘It’s not what it’s all about, but it’s definitely a factor. But I’m confident that if I continue to play well and help our team win, then everything will take care of it itself.’’
Olsen insisted he wouldn’t issue any ultimatums to Bears management.
‘‘I’m not going to storm in and say this and that and the other thing,’’ he said. ‘‘I’m going to continue to work hard, try to be consistent and make the plays they ask me to and build on what I’ve done the last couple of years, and things will take care of themselves.’’
Good to hear olsen wants to stay- now just need to martz to use him properly othrwise not worth a new contract, and nothing to do with olsen's abilities as getting the most out of a player for his salary
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High Fives / Like - 1 BEAR DOWN!, 0 Dislikes
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Originally Posted by
dabears54 
Good to hear olsen wants to stay- now just need to martz to use him properly othrwise not worth a new contract, and nothing to do with olsen's abilities as getting the most out of a player for his salary
I've already given my opinion of Olsen in another thread so I'll just highlight it here. Olsen is proving that he's a team player in Martz's offense even though his limited use as a receiver and declining stats may hurt him in the contract extension negotiations. I've said before that the FA signing of Taylor and Manumaleuna would come back to haunt the Bears when Olsen and Forte's rookie deals were due for extension. If I'm their agent there's no way I let my clients sign for less than we paid those two clowns.
What I'm hoping for is that the Bears admit their mistake and send both Taylor and Manu packing but of course that's unlikely to happen. What I'm also hoping is that the Bears find a true FB to block for Forte and carry the ball on short yardage and goaline plays since we stunk at both last year. Then Martz can get Olsen out of the backfield and into the slot as an Hback where he can absolutely kill opponents on seam routes which Martz apparently neglected to call for much of he season until the playoffs where they produced big plays for both Olsen and Davis. Those are the two guys who should be our TE's of the future and if we have to keep Manu then we play him only as an inline TE/OT.
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Originally Posted by
soulman I've already given my opinion of Olsen in another thread so I'll just highlight it here. Olsen is proving that he's a team player in Martz's offense even though his limited use as a receiver and declining stats may hurt him in the contract extension negotiations. I've said before that the FA signing of Taylor and Manumaleuna would come back to haunt the Bears when Olsen and Forte's rookie deals were due for extension. If I'm their agent there's no way I let my clients sign for less than we paid those two clowns.
What I'm hoping for is that the Bears admit their mistake and send both Taylor and Manu packing but of course that's unlikely to happen. What I'm also hoping is that the Bears find a true FB to block for Forte and carry the ball on short yardage and goaline plays since we stunk at both last year. Then Martz can get Olsen out of the backfield and into the slot as an Hback where he can absolutely kill opponents on seam routes which Martz apparently neglected to call for much of he season until the playoffs where they produced big plays for both Olsen and Davis. Those are the two guys who should be our TE's of the future and if we have to keep Manu then we play him only as an inline TE/OT.
agree 100% soul, and while he will never get prop's for it, really glad to see an athlete talk about wanting to stay and not whining about $$$ and as yo said trying to better himself in blocking w/o complaining about his 'catches"... much different thanso many "me" players these days
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Originally Posted by
dabears54 agree 100% soul, and while he will never get prop's for it, really glad to see an athlete talk about wanting to stay and not whining about $$$ and as yo said trying to better himself in blocking w/o complaining about his 'catches"... much different thanso many "me" players these days
Olsen appears to be an old school player in a sense. He doesn't believe in a lot of pish-posh when it comes to contract negotiations. However, with his agent being the nefarious Drew Rosenhaus, I question how contract negotiations will go when the time to re-sign comes about.
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Originally Posted by
Dagan81 Olsen appears to be an old school player in a sense. He doesn't believe in a lot of pish-posh when it comes to contract negotiations. However, with his agent being the nefarious Drew Rosenhaus, I question how contract negotiations will go when the time to re-sign comes about.
yep, met him and his dad his rook year in detriot and his Dad real "hard core" and a football coach, can see why he's old school in alot of ways, but agree having rosensleaze as his agent never helps, although Drew has been neautered the few times he tried his sleazy tactics on bears- remember his "lance has played his last down in chicago' stuff, that backfired?.. don't think he plays thoe games anymore with bears
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Originally Posted by
Dagan81 Olsen appears to be an old school player in a sense. He doesn't believe in a lot of pish-posh when it comes to contract negotiations. However, with his agent being the nefarious Drew Rosenhaus, I question how contract negotiations will go when the time to re-sign comes about.
These days Rosenhaus gets foiled as often as he succeeds in his style of negotiation. Lance Briggs didn't get much benefit from his promise to get him a $60 + deal but Kellen Winslow did. However, Olsen will never get anywhere near what Rosenhaus got for Kellen Winslow. In my mind if we can give him a deal equivalent to what we paid Martz's buddy Manu then we can wrap him up for another 5 years.
The bottom line is that based on both his abilities and his attitude the guy in a keeper. With him and Davis on the roster I feel real good about our TE situation for the first time in 20 years.
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