Q&A: Quarterbacks coach Greg Olson brings passion, familiarity to the quarterbacks room

Apr 11, 2025 at 01:18 PM

Carter Owen

Digital Content Associate

Raiders.com is publishing a series of Q&As with members of the Silver and Black's 2025 coaching staff.

Here is the latest discussion with quarterbacks coach Greg Olson. Olson is entering his 23rd season as an NFL coach, including 17 years of experience as an offensive coordinator. He previously served as the Raiders offensive coordinator from 2013-14 and 2018-21.

Read through to learn more about Olson's thoughts on working with Geno Smith, the evolution of the quarterback position and more.

Q: How has it been getting to know the staff and meeting some of the players that you'll be working with?

Olson: It's been great. I was here three years ago, so there's familiarity in the building with kitchen staff, equipment staff and trainers, and that's made the transition really smooth and easy for me. I developed a lot of relationships with those people when I was here before, so they've made it welcoming and it's been good to reconnect with those people. Then obviously I worked for Pete [Carroll] in Seattle, so there's familiarity there with the head coach. Nate [Carroll] and Andy Dickerson were there as well, so there's some familiarity within the staff, which always makes the transition easier. But it's also been great to meet new coaches like Chip Kelly and Chris Beatty, and really, the entire staff. I've been getting to know those guys, Steck [Luke Steckel] and Deland McCullough, it's been good.

Q: I assume your familiarity with Pete and a number of other coaches on the staff is part of it, but what drew you back to the Raiders and to this opportunity?

Olson: I've got a lot of respect for Mark Davis, the entire Raiders organization and the history of the Raiders, which to me, makes it a very attractive franchise to come back to. The opportunity to work with Pete Carroll, a Super Bowl-winning coach. The culture that he built in Seattle, for me to have had a chance work with him there and see how he operated, I just have a ton of respect for him as a football coach, but also as a person. I just thought it was going to be a great opportunity to work with someone that I had tremendous amount of respect for.

Q: Has the quarterback position changed a lot in the last five to 10 years and if so, what are some of those changes that you've seen?

Olson: I think it's constantly changing, but in the last five to 10 years, it's the emergence of the athletic quarterback because of the RPOs that have become more prevalent in college football and more prevalent in the NFL. That makes the position a little bit more dynamic when you have somebody like that. You can still look at great players like Tom Brady and Peyton Manning and Drew Brees, a number of guys that have played the position that were true pocket passers. But the emergence of these athletic players that can not only throw the ball, but run the ball, it just gives you another big advantage at that position that wasn't really there 25 years ago. We've seen it, there's been athletic ones through time, but there just seems to be a higher percentage of players coming out now that are extremely athletic. There's still a number of really good dropback passers that are coming out this year, but I just think you're seeing more of the athletic ones.

Q: Whether it's on social media or TV, quarterbacks are always under the spotlight. In addition to mechanics and the X's and O's, do you also feel some level of responsibility to help teach them how to handle the pressure and criticism that comes with playing that position?

Olson: There's no question. You educate them to those issues. I've always said that the most scrutinized positions in professional football are the head coach, the offensive coordinator and then the quarterback. The defensive coordinator might be after the quarterback. So, I think those three positions are the ones that have really taken a lot of scrutiny. But that's part of the job description and a lot of these players that are coming out, they've been dealing with it from an early age. It's certainly at a higher level at this level, but again, just through the experience of coaching the position and being around a lot of different quarterbacks, you learn to help them deal with the pressure of the position and the issues that come with it.

Q: You have worked with Pete and also game planned against him. Can you describe that process of game planning for a Pete Carroll-led team?

Olson: They're always going to be a real smart football team. His teams always play with great effort on both sides of the ball. You're never going to question the effort of a Pete Carroll-coached football team. The energy that they play with has always been impressive. The culture that he built in Seattle, the fan following that he built there with the 12s is impressive. I just love his style of coaching and the energy, to me, it transcends from him to the players. I've been fortunate. The last three coaches that I've worked for in Pete Carroll, Sean McVay and Jon Gruden are all Super Bowl-winning coaches. I've gotten a chance to learn from what I feel are some of the best head coaches in the league.

Q: If a coach comes in and installs a new innovative offense, that's something you can see on television. If you're talking about building a culture, that's harder for somebody to identify and understand if they aren't inside the building. When you think about Pete and the way that he operates an organization, why do you think it has worked for him in the past?

Olson: I think people are attracted to high-energy people. I know I am. He's high-energy and he's positive and he brings the best out in his players and his coaches. There was a time when he was a coordinator and he was really involved in the X's and O's part of football. I think now he's so involved with the mental side of it and getting his coaches to prepare the team and getting his team prepared to play. To see what he built in Seattle, you listen to the way the players describe him and the culture that he built there of positivity and competition. Those three things: energy, positivity, and number one, competition. You talk to anyone that played for him, they'll say competition. When you get there and see it up close, it's pretty cool. He holds players accountable. He's quick to point out things they can do better, but he's also quick to compliment them when they do things right. He's really good at it and he's got a unique gift for talking to players and coaches.

Q: How do you feel like you've grown as a coach and as a person since your first stint here to your second stint and then to now?

Olson: I've been through a lot. I think the last year that I was here, the 10-7 year, I probably went through more in that year than I had in the previous 24, just because of everything that occurred that season. … Experience has helped guide me through a lot of difficult situations that I've had as I've gotten older in my career. You just learn how to deal with more situations and I feel like I'm a much better football coach now than I've ever been because of learning through those situations. I just think the experience has been great and I'm just fortunate to be back here.

Q: What excites you about the opportunity to work with Aidan O'Connell and Geno Smith this coming year?

Olson: My last college job was at Purdue with Drew Brees, so I have an affinity for Purdue University, and I've followed them since I've been in the NFL. It was fun to follow Aidan O'Connell at Purdue and the success that he had there. Then to see him come in and play as a young player, which is not easy to do. He faced his own set of adversities here in Vegas. I've got a lot of respect for the way he played the game this past season. Obviously, Geno Smith I had an opportunity to coach in Seattle. I love the player that he is and have a ton of respect for his story. I think it's one of the most amazing stories in the NFL in terms of him being drafted early in New York and not having a lot of success early on his career, but just continuing to work and grind and the passion and energy and really, commitment that he made to just continue to get better on a day-to-day, week-to-week, year-to-year basis, I think is impressive. Now to be playing at the level that he's playing, it's fun to watch. I'm happy to be part of it. I'm excited to be part of it going forward. I've just got a ton of respect for him and the way he plays the game.

Geno Smith is ready to work and leave his mark on the Silver & Black

📰:https://t.co/3WGaPxlW0y pic.twitter.com/so4VLOIlPb
— Las Vegas Raiders (@Raiders) April 8, 2025

Q: What do you remember about playing at Spokane Falls, your experience there and what you learned?

Olson: My dad was my football coach and my wrestling coach. My dad was my hero. He introduced me to athletics. He also introduced me to hunting and fishing. All I kind of knew growing up, when he had people over, it was all football coaches. I just thought it was the coolest job in the world. All these coaches would come over and they all seemed to enjoy each other's company. I always knew I was probably going to be a coach. Then I went to Spokane Falls. I was recruited by Bob Everson and fell in love with him. I thought he was a tremendous football coach. He ended up passing away from cancer. I was one of the pallbearers at his funeral. He passed away not much later after I played for him at an early age. He fueled my fire to coach. He hired me; my first coaching job was with Bob at Spokane Falls. He gave me a great opportunity there and that led to getting awarded a graduate assistantship at Washington State University with Dennis Erickson and then Mike Price and it kind of went from there.

Q: I always find it interesting to hear about somebody's first coaching job or that first experience. A lot of times, I think that's where they weed out some of the people that love it and want to do it, and then some of the people that, say, maybe not for me.

Olson: Yeah, you're not getting paid anything. You're working really long hours with very little pay, doing a lot of the grunt work. But I loved it. I was thankful that my dad was a teacher and a coach because all I ever wanted to be was my dad. He really stoked my fire and passion for sports. He was an NCAA wrestling official, an NCAA baseball umpire, a high school football coach and wrestling coach. He loved sports and he loved kids.

Q: This job is go, go, go all the time. You're watching film, trying to find answers for defenses. When you do have a break and you're not working, what do you enjoy doing?

Olson: I'm a big offshore fisherman in the offseason. When I was at Tampa Bay, I had a friend out there that took me offshore fishing and I just fell in love with it. I try to spend the offseason in June and July. I'll spend two or three weeks fishing in Florida. It's a great thing, but I've got family. I have a twin son and daughter. I told you my daughter plays volleyball at UCLA. My son plays football at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. My wife coaches track at Cal Berkeley. Everyone in our family is involved in athletics and sports and we all enjoy following one another and supporting one another, so my family has been super important to me, and I like spending time with my family when I do have off time.

Q: You've accomplished a lot in your coaching career so what makes you motivated to keep going?

Olson: I love the competitive aspect of what we do. I love being able to do a deep dive and try to game plan and put together a plan against an opponent. I think that's very challenging. Trying to solve problems and be a problem solver, that keeps you going and keeps you up at night. And I really enjoy being around young people that are motivated. Most professional athletes are highly, highly motivated people and the relationships I've made with both players and coaches, I wouldn't trade for anything in the world. I think I'm the luckiest guy in the world that way. When you're coaching quarterbacks, there's two or three guys in the room and you're seeing each other every day, so those relationships are unique compared to other positions on the on the football team. I've really enjoyed that part of my job and that's why I'm excited about Geno. Carter Bradley, I coached with his dad, Gus. I mean, what the heck! I've gone fishing with Carter in Florida out on the ocean many times, so I'm excited about that. Aidan O'Connell, a Purdue guy. We'll be able to share Purdue stories, I'm just excited.

Read more Q&As:

Wide receivers coach Chris Beatty

Defensive backs coach Marcus Robertson

Running backs coach Deland McCullough

Defensive line coach/run game coordinator Rob Leonard

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Las Vegas Raiders defensive end Tyree Wilson (9) at a workout during phase one of the offseason program at Intermountain Health Performance Center.