Falcons hire Chris Olsen as senior director of football administration

Chris Olsen is joining the Falcons front office. They announced on Friday that they’ve hired the executive to be their new senior director of football administration. Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle reports that Olsen signed a three-year deal with a fourth-year team option.

Atlanta Falcons general manager Terry Fontenot said in a statement:

“Chris is widely respected across the entire league for his knowledge of the game and the business, and the work he has accomplished to this point in his career. On top of that, he is a great human being and teammate and we are excited for him to join the Falcons organization. We look forward to what we can accomplish and build together.”

Olsen previously spent more than a decade with the Texans organization, with his responsibilities including contract negotiations and salary-cap planning. The executive served under several GMs, and he briefly led football operations following the firing of Brian Gaine. As Wilson notes, Olsen was responsible for some of the larger deals in Texans history, including J.J. Watt‘s $100M deal. Olsen is expected to serve a similar role in Atlanta.

After earning a master’s degree in sports management from Springfield College, Olsen served as the manager of labor operations with the NFL management council from 1999 through 2006. In this role, he assured that all teams were in compliance with the CBA and the salary cap, and he served as a liaison to the NFLPA regarding contract disputes.