NFL Free Agency Recap: Chicago Bears Officially Trade TE Greg Olsen to Panthers
Published by Jake Perper on July 29, 2011
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Chicago Bears
The Bears traded former first-round pick TE Greg Olsen away to the Carolina Panthers for a 2012 third-round pick late yesterday.
Talks of trading Olsen occured all day yesterday after his agent Drew Rosenhaus sent out a message to all the NFL teams telling them he was available.
“The Bears have granted me permission to seek a trade for Greg Olsen,” Rosenhaus wrote in the first email, sent at 8:56 p.m. EDT. “Please let me know if interested. Sounds like the Bears will be very reasonable on the compensation in return for Greg.”
Olsen will play next to veteran TE Jeremy Shockey in a much improved Carolina offense. Fans were surprised that Olsen was traded away as it definitely made some scratch their heads. Bears country were big fans of him, but he never really lived up to the potential everyone knew he had.
Some games Olsen just simply wouldn’t show up, but some games he was the player the Bears thought they drafted in 2007 out of Miami.
Olsen appeared in 62 games, reeling in 194 passes for 1,981 yards and 20 touchdowns in four seasons with the Bears. The Bears currently have Kellen Davis and Matt Spaeth under contract after trading Olsen and releasing Brandon Manumaleuna.
Olsen had this to say about his “bittersweet” departure from the Bears:
“I did everything that I was asked,” Olsen told “Chicago’s Gamenight” on ESPN 1000. “Playing fullback and pass protection and blocking. That was kind of the wrap going in. I proved all that wrong and showed that I could play every down and did everything I was asked to do. At the end of the day, it just wasn’t really a fit. And that’s fine. Everyone has their ways of doing things and I have no hard feelings towards it at all, and I’m just happy and satisfied that I have the opportunity to go play somewhere where I feel like I have a better opportunity.”
Former Bears WR Rashied Davis, who signed with NFC North rival Detroit yesterday had this to say about the Bears:
“I have no clue what is going on with the Bears organization.”
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