The tight end Greg Olsen announced his retirement from the NFL after 14 seasons on Sunday.
“After 14 years of playing in this league … proud of what I’ve been able to achieve, proud of the relationships, everything the game has given me, but sometimes when it’s time, it’s time,” Olsen told Fox Sports pre-game show for NFC Championship Game.
Olsen, 35, will join Fox in the NFL’s broadcast stand next season.
He played for the Seattle Seahawks this season, finishing with 24 catches for 239 yards and a touchdown in 11 games.
Prior to that, he spent nine seasons with the Carolina Panthers and, from 2014-16, became the first tight end in NFL history to receive 1,000 yards in three consecutive seasons. He holds the Panthers franchise record for most receiving yards (1,104 in ’15) and receptions (84 in ’14) in a season to the end.
He entered the NFL as a first-round pick (31st overall) by the Chicago Bears in the 2007 draft and retired with 742 receptions for 8,683 yards and 60 touchdowns.