Pros and Cons to Chicago Bears hiring Greg Olson

The Chicago Bears interviewed Seattle Seahawks quarterback coach Greg Olson for their offensive coordinator job. What does he bring to the table that would pique their interest, and what should concern Bears fans if he does get hired?

Chicago Bears interviewed Greg Olson

Greg Olson started his career back in 1987 with Washington State. He was a graduate assistant for three years before getting an offensive coordinator job with Central Washington in 1990. In 1994, he moved to Idaho as a quarterbacks coach. In 1997, he was the Purdue quarterbacks coach, which is where he got his break in the NFL. He got to coach Drew Brees in college. 

That got him a job on the 2001 San Francisco 49ers coaching staff for a year before he went back to Purdue for one season. Then, in 2003, he was hired to be the quarterback coach for Rex Grossman on the Chicago Bears. That stint lasted one year before he moved on to the Detroit Lions, where was reunited with Steven Mariucci, who hired him to the 49ers in 2001. 

He struggled to get anything out of Joey Harrington in two seasons but still got a new offensive coordinator with Scott Linehan, coaching Marc Bulger for the 2006 St. Louis Rams for two years. In 2008 he was added as a quarterbacks coach, a demotion after struggling with the Rams. Still, he was on a staff with Jon Grude, Jay Gruden, and Sean McVay. McVay is worth remembering for later.

Olson saw the Bucs switch staffs, but when Raheem Morris was hired, he promoted Greg Olson from quarterbacks coach to offensive coordinator. There, he coached Josh Freeman as a rookie for two years. He moved to assistant head coach and offensive coordinator for the Jacksonville Jaguars, but the team only had Chad Henne at quarterback, and it did not go well. 

So, in 2013, he went to the Oakland Raiders, where the team had Matt McGloin and Terrelle Pryor. However, it is notable that Olson was the offensive coordinator when the Raiders drafted Derek Carr. 

That only lasted one year, and in 2015, he moved to the Jaguar's offensive coordinator role, this time coaching second-year Blake Bortles. That lasted two years and did not go well, but in 2017, McVay called him back from their 2008 time together and brought him to be the quarterbacks coach for second-year Jared Goff. 

That only lasted one year until he was back with Jon Gruden for three years as the Raiders offensive coordinator. After the Gruden stint ended poorly, he went back to the Rams to be a senior assistant. That lasted one year until Shane Waldron brought him to the Seahawks to be their quarterbacks coach. 

Pros of Chicago Bears hiring Greg Olson 

Olson has worked with a lot of different styles of quarterbacks and has been doing so since Drew Brees with Purdue in 2000. He has worked with pocket passers and runners. He has worked with big quarterbacks and undersized players. 

More than that, he has worked with a lot of rookies and second-year players. He has been regarded for his work with them, and offensive stars such as Gruden and McVay have always kept his ideas close. 

Cons of Chicago Bears hiring Greg Olson

This is another coach who may get hired based on association more than what he actually does. He worked with McVay but is not McVay. He worked with rookies, but Joey Harrington, Rex Grossman, Josh Freeman, and Blake Bortles were largely busts. Goff and Carr did not do much with him. Are these issues with the player or him?

The Chicago Bears like te idea of Olson, but they have to be skeptical of whether he brings that offense to reality. 

We'll see if the Bears make the move, but for now, you can claim an instant $158 bonus from BetMGM with any $5 bet today! Deposit at least $10 and bet $5 or more on any game right now and you'll immediately receive $158 in bonus bets win or lose. Sign up for BetMGM now!