Greg Olsen talks interest in Panthers HC job

Sports broadcaster and former Panthers tight end Greg Olsen.

Retired tight end and current Fox lead NFL analyst Greg Olsen featured for the Carolina Panthers from 2011 through the 2019 season and confirmed during a Monday appearance on “The Rich Eisen Show” that he’s interested in speaking with team owner David Tepper about the club’s head-coach opening after Tepper fired Frank Reich last week.

“Who wouldn’t [be]? Obviously, this is a city that I love, this is a team that I played the bulk of my career for,” Olsen said, per Dan Martin of the New York Post. “I want to see them have success.”

The Athletic’s Joseph Person and Richard Deitsch reported on Nov. 27 that Olsen “would be interested in the Panthers’ vacancy if he were approached” even though he has no coaching experience at the pro or college levels. Charlotte Observer columnist Scott Fowler later poured cold water over the idea of Tepper hiring an unproven commodity such as Olsen, and it’s believed that Carolina could target Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson this coming offseason.

In February, Andrew Marchand of the New York Post explained that Olsen’s Fox salary will drop from $10M to $3M assuming he loses the lead analyst gig to Tom Brady next year, as expected. Brady and Fox agreed to a 10-year deal reportedly worth $375M in 2022.

According to Arthur Weinstein of Awful Announcing, Olsen could make “roughly twice” his altered Fox pay as an NFL head coach.

“If they said, ‘Hey listen, is this something you’d talk to us about?’ To entertain and take that conversation, I think that’s fairly obvious,” Olsen added about the Carolina job.

It’s unclear if Tepper will seriously consider hiring Olsen over a coach such as Johnson.

“I love doing what I’m doing right now,” Olsen insisted. “How this future unfolds, [there are] a lot of moving parts [and] a lot of this is out of any of our control.”

Interim head coach Chris Tabor hasn’t fared much better, as the Panthers dropped their 11th game of the season after losing on Sunday to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 21-18. The Panthers play at the 5-7 New Orleans Saints this coming Sunday.

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