Greg Olsen could be eyeing Panthers head coaching vacancy

National Football League

go through Michael Breen

Greg Olson may be choosing his next career pivot.

Fox, the former Panthers tight end and current analyst, would be interested in Carolina’s open head coaching position if approached, according to The Athletic.

The Panthers fired Frank Reich on Monday after going 1-10 in his first season with the team.

Reich admitted his disappointment to the Charlotte Observer and said this could be the end of his NFL career.

“It’s heartbreaking and disappointing that we didn’t get where we needed to be to keep this momentum going and try to turn this around,” Reich said. “It hurts me as a player, as a team, as a coach and as a fan.”

He is the second coach to be fired this season after the Raiders replaced Josh McDaniels.

Olson would be an interesting candidate if he officially ran.

The 38-year-old last played for the Seahawks in 2020 and has limited coaching experience as a captain for his son, Pop Warner.

Still, he could consider exiting the booth before being replaced by Tom Brady as Fox’s lead analyst as early as next season.

Olson wouldn’t be the first former NFL player-turned-analyst to land a head coaching job without extensive experience — he wouldn’t even be the first to replace Rice if hired by the Panthers Hopeful people.

The Colts fired Reich in 2022 and named former center Jeff Saturday as his interim replacement, even though he had only coached high school basketball for three seasons.

The team ended the season with a 1-7 record on Saturday and was replaced by Shane Steichen, who then returned to ESPN.

During a 14-season NFL career, Olson was one of the NFL’s top tight ends, amassing 8,683 receiving yards and 60 touchdowns, making three Pro Bowl selections and two All-Pro Second Team selections.

Whether it translates to coaching is a question that may soon be answered.