Welcome to the fifth edition of the Carolina Panthers football card of the week!
After a short hiatus, we are back.
Each week I go through the Panthers cards I’ve collected over the course of my life and choose one to review.
The Panthers open the season at home against the Chicago Bears. These organizations have made a few trades over the years. Right now, the Bryce Young trade isn’t looking so hot. But today we’re going to look at a trade that was an all-time steal for the Panthers.
You know where we’re going with this.
Greg Olsen is our card of the week!
2015 Topps Finest Greg Olsen, #87
There are plenty of fans that continue to give former general manager Marty Hurney a lot of flack for his misses during his multiple tenures with the team.
However, the man had some big hits. One of his shrewdest and most impactful moves was trading a 2012 third round pick to Chicago for Olsen on July 28, 2011.
The lockout had just ended and you may remember that the Panthers selected some guy named Cam Newton with the first overall pick that April.
The Panthers had already signed Jeremy Shockey and wanted to make sure Newton had reliable targets.
Olsen was entering the final year of his rookie deal and Mike Martz was the offensive coordinator of the Bears. The organization told Olsen that they weren’t putting a big priority on the tight end position.
The Panthers pounced and the rest is history.
Olsen was a key cog for the Panthers as they won the division three consecutive seasons from 2013 to 2015. He also became the first tight end in NFL history to record 1,000 yards receiving in three consecutive seasons from 2014 to 2016.
In nine seasons with the Panthers, Olsen recorded 524 receptions for 6,463 yards and 39 touchdowns.
Of all those catches, yards and touchdowns, my favorite play from Olsen came during the 2015 season at Seattle.
The Seahawks were a constant thorn in the Panthers side up until that point. The Panthers had lost to them in the regular season in 2012, 2013 and the playoffs in 2014.
Nobody outside of the Carolinas bought the idea of the Panthers being legitimate contenders after their 4-0 start. But that all changed when Olsen ran free for the game winning 26 yard touchdown with 32 seconds left.
Olsen throwing his hands up after catching that touchdown and spiking the football is an image that’ll always be ingrained in my mind.
"It's a great win, but it does only count for one," Olsen said after that game. "That's the reality of this business. But it felt good. We've had our battles against these guys."
You’ll still find No. 88 jerseys in the crowd on game days at Bank of America Stadium. He’ll always be one of the most popular players in franchise history based on his play on the field and work off of it around the Charlotte area.
Side note: how did Topps not have the wherewithal to make Olsen number 88 in this set as they went with 87 instead?
Unfortunately the Panthers have not found a tight end of Olsen’s caliber since his final season with the team in 2019.
Hopefully that will change sometime soon.
PREVIOUS PANTHERS FOOTBALL CARD OF THE WEEK ENTRIES
August 18, 2026: Wesley Walls
August 8, 2026: Luke Kuechly
July 27, 2026: Sam Mills
July 19, 2026: Armanti Edwards