Greg Olsen trying to cement his legacy this season

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Greg Olsen was nearing his 35th birthday with options for jobs that don’t involve getting hit by defensive players when he was released by the Panthers in February, but Olsen decided not to walk away from the game.

Olsen signed with the Seahawks despite interest from TV networks in having him move from tight end to the broadcast booth. During an appearance on 710 ESPN on Wednesday, Olsen explained why he’s holding off on the next chapter of his life.

“I just feel like I still have game left, I thought I still had things to prove — both to myself and I thought I had some work to do to cement myself with my legacy as a player,” Olsen said, via the team’s website. “I didn’t like the way my last two years, 2017 and 2018, went, with being hurt and getting dinged up and not feeling like I was able to be myself. That was kind of a bitter pill to swallow to think that my career would end like that. But when the opportunity came to play out here, it was just a really unique opportunity and a really unique circumstance to come out with a winning franchise and a proven head coach and proven quarterback.”

Olsen ranks in the top 50 all-time in catches, has been to the Super Bowl and received numerous individual accolades, which leaves a Super Bowl win as the only obvious thing missing from his legacy as a player. History suggests the Seahawks will be a playoff contender in the NFC, so he may get one more shot at that ring if he’s able to stay healthy this year.