Bears trading Greg Olsen dubbed one of worst trades since 2000

[dentfan]

The Bears wound up trading Olsen to the Panthers for a third-round pick in 2011, where he spent the next nine seasons in Carolina and became one of the league’s most potent pass-catching tight ends.

Bleacher Report ranked the seven worst trades of the last 20 years, and it wasn’t a surprise to find Chicago trading Olsen to Carolina as one of the worst — at least for the Bears.

Bears trading Greg Olsen dubbed one of worst trades since 2000

The Bears trading TE Greg Olsen to the Panthers remains one of the worst trades of the past 20 years.

bearswire.usatoday.com

I don't know about you guys, but this one still burns. I was so pissed at the time that we traded because of Martz.

AT the time, if i remember correctly, I was still hoping for the greatest show on turf part 2, (ah, the beauty of hindsight) and was just like why can't he use a TE?

How do you all feel about this? Does it still smart?

 

[modo]

the past is for cowards and losers

 

[bamainatlanta]

Have to agree. It was a dumb trade, especially considering Martz was gone the following off-season and subsequently retired I believe.

 

[hebs]

Sadly, if the trade doesn't happen, Olsen probably doesn't have the same kind of career.

Good for him, sucks for us...

 

[Zvbxrpl]

All depends on how you choose to look at it.

Through the lens of Mike Martz being unable to adapt/change even a little for a playmaker--whom the bears hadn't had since Berrian (and Greg Olsen >>>>Bernard) because he was a TE and Martz couldn't be bothered to line him up in the slot to mismatch a nickel DB/linebacker--like Jimmy Graham was a lot of his career during the same period--yeah, it's an all-time blunder.

But through the lens of basically the return for Olsen (a third rounder?) went and got Brandon Marshall who gave you a few exceptional years at WR1 and that rippling effect of mentorship (along with being a lockerroom cancerous asshat) into Alshon Jeffery being an overweight kid with no athleticism/speed coming out of South Carolina or wherever the bears drafted him from turning into what Alshon did--that's not a bad consolation prize all things considered.

 

[legendxofxlink]

Imagine trading Greg Olsen, the QB's best friend, and replacing his production with lazy ass Roy Williams, who no one wanted after the season was over.. This is the kind of shit that got Lovie fired...

 

[iueyedoc]

Have to agree. It was a dumb trade, especially considering Martz was gone the following off-season and subsequently retired I believe.

And it was obvious Martz was gonna be gone before the trade. His offense was antiquated and successful based on having HOF talent everywhere. You knew it was going to be his last season before it even started.

 

[Anytime23]

It was a terrible trade but this fanbase in recent years has talked about Olsen like he was Antonio Gates. Half the fanbase couldn't stop shitting on him before he was traded. Couldn't block. Was soft. Cant break tackles. This stuff was said repeatedly.

 

[botfly10]

lotta ppl on here didn't like Olsen at the time and assumed bears were never gon pay him are were glad to get something from him

 

[Tjodalv]

It took a decade for them to figure that out? That isn't hindsight, we all called that day 1 (well, everyone but you, apparently?).

Manu was a solid replacement...

 

[Zion]

Martellus Bennett was good for us too, got rid of him too quickly. What is it with this franchise and TEs.

 

[bamainatlanta]

Martellus Bennett was good for us too, got rid of him too quickly. What is it with this franchise and TEs.

Bennett was a cancer that quit on the team in the 2015 Bears Broncos game. He can go fuck off

 

[Zion]

Bennett was a cancer that quit on the team in the 2015 Bears Broncos game. He can go fuck off

Bennett was a pro bowler for us. Record-breaking production. He was frustrated by the state of the team as we all were, but he was a consistent performer every season and was one of of the bright spots on those late Cutler-era teams.

After we jettisoned him he went on to help his new team win the superbowl, btw

 

[legendxofxlink]

It was a terrible trade but this fanbase in recent years has talked about Olsen like he was Antonio Gates. Half the fanbase couldn't stop shitting on him before he was traded. Couldn't block. Was soft. Cant break tackles. This stuff was said repeatedly.

I did my fair share of shitting on him after I went to the '08 Bears /Panthers game and watched him catch 2 passes for 7 yards and lose 2 fumbles. But he looked pretty damn good when Cutler came in pre-Martz.

 

[Anytime23]

I did my fair share of shitting on him after I went to the '08 Bears /Panthers game and watched him catch 2 passes for 7 yards and lose 2 fumbles. But he looked pretty damn good when Cutler came in pre-Martz.

TBH when i think of Olsen i think of that game.

 

[bamainatlanta]

Bennett was a pro bowler for us. Record-breaking production. He was frustrated by the state of the team as we all were, but he was a consistent performer every season and was one of of the bright spots on those late Cutler-era teams.

After we jettisoned him he went on to help his new team win the superbowl, btw

Real hard to do with Brady and Belichik. He's a quitter. He quit on GB as well. Seriously, fuck that guy

 

[The Big Grabowski]

Martellus Bennett was good for us too, got rid of him too quickly. What is it with this franchise and TEs.

I don't know about that. His negatives were huge by the end. He'd half ass routes and run the wrong way. Putting him on the same team as Marshall and Cutler was definitely not going to end well.

 

[Zion]

I don't know about that. His negatives were huge by the end. He'd half ass routes and run the wrong way. Putting him on the same team as Marshall and Cutler was definitely not going to end well.

That team was a mess due imo, not to individual personalities, but due to the level of talent on the offensive side of the ball and the unrealized expectations that resulted. Great players will often be divas, and Bennet was, production-wise, very good.

 

[Bears Backer 54]

Jettisoning playmakers at poor times with no heir apparent was definitely to common during the Jerry Angelo era. It was almost as if a player showed some type of ability but wasn't aligned with the offensive philosophy (which was a constant carousel given the OC circus those years), they were quick to jettison them and grab whatever compensation they could find. Olsen definitely stung a bit given that we tried to plug that hole off and on over the next 10 years while he went on to have a productive career but it's that story at a lot of positions.

 

[Black Rainbow]

Jettisoning playmakers at poor times with no heir apparent was definitely to common during the Jerry Angelo era.

It's happening again at OT.

No, Leno is not a playmaker, but he should have been kicked to the curb last year.

The timing of things and the expectation that Jenkins is a lock could blow up in our face.