2 Longtime Panthers Stars Will Officially Retire With Team

Carolina Panthers legends Greg Olsen and Thomas Davis Sr. both left the franchise in the late stages of their careers. On March 11, the veteran pair will return to sign one-day contracts and retire with the team where they spent 22 combined seasons.

On Wednesday night, the Panthers’ official Twitter account confirmed Davis would be heading back to Charlotte. Earlier this morning, Olsen hinted that the event would be a joint affair.

Reports from Alaina Getzenberg of The Charlotte Observer confirmed these suspicions.

Before leaving Carolina for Seattle in 2020, Olsen had long been one of the Panthers’ most reliable receiving options. In four straight seasons from 2013-2016, the talented tight end led the team in receiving yards.

With this kind of production through nine seasons in Charlotte, the three-time Pro Bowler became the leading TE in franchise history, logging 6,463 yards, 524 receptions and 39 touchdowns. Olsen currently ranks third among Panthers’ all-time receivers, only trailing WRs Steve Smith and Muhsin Muhammad.

Davis has an equally impressive resume with Carolina. With 789 solo tackles through 13 seasons, the all-time great linebacker is the No. 1 tackler in franchise history.

Through his long NFL tenure, Davis seemed almost indestructible. After missing an entire season with a knee injury in 2010, the veteran defender was able to fight his way back and exceed recovery expectations. During the Panthers’ golden years, Davis put together a stretch of three-straight Pro Bowls (2015-17) as the team’s unquestioned defensive leader.

Davis left the franchise in 2019 to join the Los Angeles Chargers. In 2020, he played in seven games for the Washington Football team.

While it was certainly difficult for Panthers fans to see these guys go, it will sure be great to have them back next week.

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