In middle school, the way one person signals their interest in another is for the suitor to send his or her friends to approach the love interest and ask, "Do you like them? Do you like them? Do you? Do you? DO YOUU???" That's the way it worked when we were in middle school and, as the parent of a current middle schooler, I can attest it's still in play today.
It's also, apparently, how one approaches an NFL head coaching position.
The Athletic reported Monday that Fox NFL analyst Greg Olsen is interested in the open Carolina Panthers head coaching job. Except, here's how they phrased it:
Ex-Carolina tight end Greg Olsen, the color analyst on Fox’s No. 1 NFL crew, would be interested in the Panthers’ vacancy if he were approached, according to sources close to Olsen who were granted anonymity so they could speak freely.
That's right, the 38-year-old with zero coaching experience would do the Panthers the favor of considering their head coaching job, but only if they walk across the lunch room and speak to him first.
A 2-time All-Pro, Olsen played in the NFL from 2007-20 (he was a Panther from 2011-19) and entered broadcasting immediately upon retirement. He was promoted to Fox's A team following Troy Aikman's defection to ESPN in 2022 and called last season's Super Bowl, but he's set to be demoted to the B team once Tom Brady comes aboard next season.
And so Olsen's interest in the Carolina vacancy makes sense. He could take a demotion, or he could make a lateral move of taking one of the 32 most-coveted positions in the coaching profession.
Olsen's qualifications for the job are that he played 14 seasons in the league, studies it closely as a No. 1 analyst, and that he maintains relationships in Carolina -- so much so that he signed a 1-day contract to retire as a Panther.
Hedge-fund billionaire David Tepper purchased the team from original owner Jerry Richardson in 2018, while Olsen was still a Panther. He fired Ron Rivera mid-season in 2019, fired Matt Rhule mid-season in 2022, and fired Frank Reich on Monday. The Panthers have not enjoyed a winning season under Tepper's ownership; in fact, the coach to win the most games in a single season under Tepper is Steve Wilks, who went 6-6 after taking over for Rhule last season, but was not retained despite a 4-2 finish.
The team also traded wide receiver DJ Moore, their first two picks in last spring's draft, their first pick in this spring's draft, and their No. 2 pick in 2025 to trade up to take Bryce Young first overall.
"I would like someone to be here 20, 30 years," Tepper said Tuesday on his hope for the next head caoch. "I’d like have someone say the eulogy at my funeral in 30 years. OK, maybe 40 years."
Olsen would like that person to be him -- so long as Tepper asks first.
As always, stay tuned to The Scoop for the latest.