Panthers tight end Greg Olsen was hoping to have his deal reworked this offseason and even intimated that he might sit out during training camp to get what he wanted. On Tuesday morning, Olsen said he’s changing course. He’ll instead play out his contract so as to not cause further distraction to the team, the tight end tells Tiffany Blackmon of the NFL Network (on Twitter). 
[RELATED: Panthers TE Greg Olsen Won’t Hold Out]
It’s not uncommon for players to back off of holdout threats, but it’s rare that a player will entirely abandon his pursuit of a better contract at the same time. Apparently, Olsen does not want to rock the boat in Carolina days after the team fired Dave Gettleman and brought back Marty Hurney to serve as interim GM.
Olsen was facing an uphill battle in trying to get his deal reworked with two years to go, but he also had a compelling case to make. His three-year, $22.5MM extension signed prior to the 2015 season was a reasonable deal at the time, but it now seems drastically under market for a player coming off of a third consecutive Pro Bowl nod.
With another quality season, Olsen and the Panthers can be expected to discuss an extension that will allow him to end his career in Carolina. In the interim, Olsen will put his contract qualms aside and focus on football.