How Is Greg Olsen Related To Merlin Olsen? Fans Confuse Them As Father And Son

Greg Olsen is a football sportscaster from America and a former tight end in the National Football League (NFL) who played for 14 seasons.

The Chicago Bears drafted him in the first round of the 2007 NFL Draft.

Olsen also played with the Carolina Panthers, for whom he was selected to three Pro Bowls. He was the first tight end to have at least 1,000 receiving yards in three consecutive seasons.

In 2020, Olsen played his final season with the Seattle Seahawks.

Towards the end of his football career, he started color commentary during bye weeks, and in 2021, he began working as a color commentator full-time alongside Kevin Burkhardt.

Many fans believe that he and NFL legend late Merlin Olsen are related.

Is Greg Olsen Related To Merlin Olsen?

As both have similarities in their profession and last name, many football fans believe they are related, but Greg and Merlin are not. Greg is not the son or nephew of Merlin.

They might not be related by blood, but Greg and Merlin have similarities in the case of the profession, as both of them played in the NFL for ten years before switching to the broadcast booth.

In Utah, Merlin was born to his parents, Lynn Jay Olsen and Merle Barrus, on September 15, 1940. He grew up with eight siblings; his two brothers, Orrin and Phil Olsen, were also football players.

They were selected for the NFL after college and played simultaneously, which is rare. During the 1971 and 1972 seasons, Merlin and Phil also played together as defensive tackles for the Los Angeles Rams.

In 1976 Merlin retired after a successful career in NFL and changed his profession to sportscaster. In 2010, he died battling cancer at the age of 69.

Greg Olsen’s Parents And Siblings

Olsen was born to his mother, Susan Olsen, and his father, Chris Olsen Sr. He grew up with his two brothers, Kevin Olsen and Chris Olsen Jr., in New Jersey. His father was a football and basketball coach, and he trained Greg when he was young.

Both of his brothers are also football players, his older brother Chris Jr. played for the University of Virginia as a quarterback, and his younger brother Kevin was recruited to Greg’s university in Miami, but he was dismissed from the team and university due to the incidents during his first and second years.

In 2009 he founded Receptions For Research: The Greg Olsen Foundation, which helps cancer research, the inspiration behind the foundation was his mother as she was a cancer survivor.

Greg’s parents are supportive of him, helped him achieve his dreams, and are also proud parents.

Greg Olsen’s Wife And Children

Olsen is married to his beautiful wife, Kara Dooley; the couple got married in 2009 in Ginn Hammock Beach Resort with close friends and family. The pair first met each other when they were freshmen at the University of Miami, and both of them became close friends before going out.

The couple has been happily married for 11 years. In 2011, they were blessed with their first child, a son Tate Christian Olsen; in 2012, they had twins, Talbot and Trent Olsen.

His son Trent was born with hypoplastic left heart syndrome; he received a heart transplant in 2021. The couple donated $2.5 million to the pediatric health care community.

Greg Olsen’s Net Worth

According to Celebrity Net Worth, Olsen has an estimated net worth of $16 million. He has garnered his wealth from his career as a footballer and sportscaster.

From 2007 to 2010, Olsen played for the Chicago Bears; since 2011, he has played for the Carolina Panthers. In 2012 and 2013, Olsen was selected for the USA Today All-Joe Team.

He was named to the Pro Bowl in 2014 and 2015, and in 2015, he won the NFC Championship with Carolina Panthers. In 2014 he was a Second-team All-Pro and a Pro Football Focus All-Pro in 2015.

He has been selected to the PFWA All-NFC team twice, and in 2015, he won the Ed Block Courage Award. He signed a $22.5 million, a three-year contract with the Panthers in 2015.