The Carolina Panthers stole Greg Olsen from the Chicago Bears for a third round pick during the lockout-plagued 2011 offseason. He was coming off a down season under new Bears offensive coordinator Mike Martz, who is notorious for paying little mind to the tight end position. Olsen came to Carolina to form arguably the league’s best one-two punch at tight end with Jeremy Shockey and provide a safety net for rookie quarterback Cam Newton.
Olsen’s first season in Carolina was mundane. The shared tight end snaps and the presence of a revitalized Steve Smith meant that there weren’t a whole lot of targets for Olsen, and he finished the season with 45 catches for 540 yards and five touchdowns.