Report: TE Greg Olsen negotiating with Redskins, Bills, and Seahawks

Ron Rivera has only signed one former Carolina Panthers player(LB Jared Norris) since taking over as Washington Redskins head coach last month. But that number will likely be a lot higher by the time free agency starts on March 18th. One high profile former Panther is available to sign right now, but there is competition.

TE Greg Olsen has been with Rivera since their time together on the Chicago Bears. When Rivera got the head coaching job with the Panthers in 2011, he brought Olsen with as a free agent signing. It has been a successful relationship and it looks like Rivera would like to continue it in his new Washington home.

Olsen will be 35 next month, and has limited playing time left. He has other options in broadcasting, he's been doing NFL games over the past two seasons, and covered one for the XFL last weekend.

Vernon Davis officially announced his retirement in a Super Bowl pregame video two weeks ago. His 2019 season was cut short in Week 4 due to a concussion. The Redskins’ other starting TE, Jordan Reed, also had his season ended by a concussion — this one suffered in the preseason. Retirement is also a possibility for Reed after a career that has been riddled with injuries.

The Redskins have an obvious need at tight end going into the first season of the Ron Rivera era. Greg Olsen is a veteran that can be brought in to mentor young tight ends, and hopefully give Dwayne Haskins Jr. a year of help on offense. The big questions are: does Olsen want to chase a ring this year, and how much would it cost to bring him in?

The price could be going up as Olsen reportedly enters into contract negotiations with the Redskins, Bills, and Seahawks. Is Olsen using his relationship with Rivera to squeeze more money out of two teams that made the playoffs year? Or is he just testing the market before reuniting with his former coach in Washington?