Greg Olsen Played a Key Role In Getting Dave Gettleman Fired

Dave Gettleman became the second general manager to get fired late in an offseason and he can thank tight end Greg Olsen for that.

This marks the second GM to get canned in the past month who had a decent track record of success before exiting. John Dorsey helped the Kansas City Chiefs to three playoff appearances in four years. Gettleman did the same and went to the Super Bowl on top of it in 2015. Now ever so suddenly he’s gone. Many cite a deteriorating relationship with Carolina Panthers owner Jerry Richardson stemming from the controversial decision to release Josh Norman last season.

In truth it goes deeper than that. Shortly after the news dropped, a few former Panthers players came out of the woodwork to voice their opinion. Suffice to say none of them came out in defense of Gettleman, perhaps signaling to an inability by him to connect with players.

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Bad as those breakups were, there merely got the locker room grumbling. According to Albert Breer of the MMQB though, it was another player who ended up being the flashpoint that started the ball rolling downhill on Gettleman. None other than tight end Greg Olsen of all people. Apparently in seeking a contract extension after three-straight Pro Bowls and he was met with resistence. It started to get ugly. Almost to a point where Olsen, a team captain, might consider a training camp holdout.

That was the final straw for Richardson.

Gettleman failed at a common GM issue

Identifying talent may be the biggest job description for a general manager, but that is only part of it. One overlooked aspect is being able to forge a team culture of trust and friendship from the top of the organization to the bottom. It’s a big reason teams like New England, Baltimore, Pittsburgh and Denver have so much success. They have men at the top who understand how to connect with players. John Elway and Ozzie Newsome were players after all.

Gettleman, for all his knowledge couldn’t seem to grasp anything but a hardline approach to handling player contract. That created resentment and, like a plague, it spread to the rest of the locker room until it finally infected one of its most indispensable leaders. Now he’s looking for work.