Father Time is undefeated.
So just because Greg Olsen is putting up bigger numbers with each passing season, the Carolina Panthers' Pro Bowl tight end knows he can't outrun age.
"The reality is I'm not 25 anymore," the 31-year-old said Wednesday during an appearance at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
"But I'm also going to make it hard for these young guys to take time away from me. I don't anticipate slowing down anytime soon. I anticipate playing for a good number of years remaining."
While the Panthers have not-so-secretly rebuilt their cornerback situation this offseason, they've also quietly tinkered at tight end. In the past two and a half weeks, they've made five additions at the position. A group that finished last season with only Olsen, Ed Dickson and Scott Simonson is now a party of eight.
"Our meeting room's not very big," Olsen said. "So we had to pull in some extra cafeteria chairs today to get everybody in the room for the install.
"Maybe it's the phaseout of Greg Olsen."
To be clear, he was joking. And no, it's not.
It's more like what the Panthers did last offseason by using their first-round pick on Shaq Thompson. They didn't need a linebacker, but they were intrigued by the flexibility Thompson could add on defense. They also wanted to groom a guy who can slide into Thomas Davis' spot when his playing days are done.
The Panthers had similar plans in this year's first round. Arkansas tight end Hunter Henry would have brought an extra dimension to the offense while growing up under Olsen. But when defensive tackle Vernon Butler fell to No. 30, he was the top guy on Carolina's board.
Since then, the Panthers have bought tight ends in bulk.
An hour or so after they drafted Beau Sandland in the seventh round, they added undrafted rookies Jake McGee and Andrew Bonnet. They then signed Duke product and Charlotte native Braxton Deaver after last weekend's rookie minicamp, before claiming familiar face Marcus Lucas off waivers on Tuesday.
"It's a position of need right now in the NFL. It's kind of an in-vogue position. I think everybody's trying to find the next guy," Olsen said.
It's possible, but unlikely one of the recent additions is that answer. At least, not in the way Olsen has been the guy. And over the past few months, he's been enjoying the spoils of success two Pro Bowls and a Super Bowl can bring.
It started in early March when Olsen went to Los Angeles to star in a segment for Comedy Central's "Inside Amy Schumer." He then popped up on the NFL Network's combine coverage, adding another on-air appearance to his résumé. Just two weeks ago, Pro Bowl teammate Luke Kuechly caddied for him during the Quail Hollow Pro-Am, and this weekend, Olsen will host his charity's first 5K. Oh, and all the while, he's played husband and father to three kids.
If the Panthers were having a competition for busiest offseason schedule, Olsen would be neck-and-neck with quarterback Cam Newton.
"We have a wonderful opportunity to have a platform to experience a lot of things maybe some other people don't. We understand that, we cherish that, and we feel very fortunate to be in this position," said Olsen, who then provided reassurance to the section of the Internet that may be wondering why he's not watching more film.
"The one thing I'll never do is I'll never jeopardize my preparation.
"At the end of the day, I'm a football player. I'm paid to be prepared and people rely on me to get a job done and I will never jeopardize that or sacrifice any efforts towards that goal."
As anyone who takes a daily peek at the Panthers' Snapchat knows, Olsen has been in the weight room with his teammates since the start of offseason workouts. So despite his other activities, he's not skipping the #riseandgrind.
Besides, he has a streak to continue.
Olsen's 142 consecutive games played is the second-longest such streak in the NFL, behind Dallas' Jason Witten (207). Because Olsen has long admired Witten's longevity, it's a good bet Olsen is hoping to at least match Witten's seasons played. He's heading into year 14, four ahead of Olsen.
| Greg Olsen | Games | Rec | Yds | TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 16 | 77 | 1,104 | 7 |
| 2014 | 16 | 84 | 1,008 | 6 |
| 2013 | 16 | 73 | 816 | 6 |
| 2012 | 16 | 69 | 843 | 5 |
| 2011 | 16 | 45 | 540 | 5 |
| 2010 | 16 | 41 | 404 | 5 |
| 2009 | 16 | 60 | 612 | 8 |
| 2008 | 16 | 54 | 574 | 5 |
| 2007 | 14 | 39 | 391 | 2 |
Because he continues to set individual and team records, it's hard to imagine the Panthers without Olsen anytime soon. But that day is coming — eventually.
In the meantime, he hopes to be like his "unbelievable mentor" Desmond Clark, who was at the top of Chicago's depth chart when the Bears took Olsen in the first round of the 2007 draft. Of course, it helps that as the Panthers look to improve their pass-catching options at tight end, it's in addition to and not at the expense of their current Pro Bowler.
"I understand what that was like to have an older guy not look at you as a threat and look at you as somebody that they can help bring along. So I welcome that opportunity," Olsen said.
"I will always do everything in my power to help them improve, help them be the best that they can, and at the same time, make it really hard for them to beat me out."