Should Giants Bring Back WR/KR Gunner Olszewski for Depth?

Could Gunner Olszewski become more of an offensive factor if the Giants retain him in 2026?

Jan 4, 2026; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; New York Giants wide receiver Gunner Olszewski (80) runs after making a catch during the fourth quarter against the Dallas Cowboys at MetLife Stadium. | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

Gunner Olszewski, WR/KR

• Height: 6-foot-0
• Weight: 190 lbs.
• Age: 29
• NFL Exp: 7 Years
• College: Bemidji State

During the summer, the New York Giants had a little dilemma on their hands at the return specialist role in their special teams department: side with the flashy player in Ihmir Smith-Marsette, who brought some life to the third phase in 2024, or with Gunner Olszewski, who they entrusted with the job the year before.

In the end, and in a surprising decision by former head coach Brian Daboll and his coaching staff, the Giants chose Olszewski, who won back his place on the roster after missing most of the previous season with a groin injury he suffered in Week 1.

Olszewski first joined the Giants in the middle of the 2023 campaign, after he was released by the Pittsburgh Steelers, with whom he signed in 2022 after starting his NFL career with the New England Patriots as an undrafted free agent out of D-II Bemidji State in Minnesota.

In his stint with the Patriots, Olszewski was the team's main punt and kick returner and was fairly efficient in both opportunities.

He only appeared in eight games in 2019 due to hamstring and ankle injuries, but followed that up with at least 38 combined returns and averages of 23.2 yards on kickoffs and 14.6 yards on punts in the next two seasons.

The 29-year-old was named an AP All-Pro first team member for his punt return efforts with the Patriots, but the franchise decided not to re-sign him in the 2022 offseason.

He would then join the Steelers on a two-year contract, during which his responsibilities dwindled behind a loaded specialist room.

After just18 games, including just two appearances in the 2023 season, the Steelers released Olszewski, who then signed with the Giants on their practice squad before receiving an elevation to the active roster ahead of their Week 8 contest against the New York Jets.

Olszewski played in the remaining 10 games for New York, contributing on punt returns and averaging 12.3 yards per attempt, which finished as the team's best.

He also recorded the second special teams touchdown of his career in Week 17 with a 94-yard return against the Los Angeles Rams.

As mentioned, the Giants would re-sign Olszewski to a one-year deal ahead of the 2024 season, but his presence was short-lived after he injured his groin in the season opener and landed on the injured reserve list.

He became a free agent in the summer and would once again be re-signed days before training camp to compete for a spot on the 53-man roster.

2025 Recap

Nov 2, 2025; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; New York Giants wide receiver Gunner Olszewski (80) returns the opening kickoff against the San Francisco 49ers during the first half at MetLife Stadium. | Robert Deutsch-Imagn Images

After a tough training camp competition with Ihmir Smith-Marsette, the Giants made the intriguing move to let the former player go at the roster deadline and propel Gunner Olszewski back into the starting job, handling both kickoff and punt returns.

Olszewski would appear in 16 games, with his only absence coming in Week 15 after he suffered a concussion two weeks earlier in the team's 33-15 primetime road loss to the New England Patriots, which subsequently placed him in the league's concussion protocol.

Before that brief injury, Olszewski was logging the best season of his career in the kickoff return department, notching a career-high average of 26.2 yards on 50 total attempts to tally 682 yards. On punts, he caught 24 boots (12 fair catches) and brought the rest back for 216 yards, an average of 9.0 yards per return.

The best outing of Olszewski's season came in the Giants' Week 6 upset of the Philadelphia Eagles at MetLife Stadium, where he returned four kickoffs for a season-high 103 yards, and one of them went for his longest 37 yards as the Giants stunned their NFC East rivals in a rare primetime setting.

Still, the most interesting contributions in Olszewski's 2025 campaign came beyond special teams, as, for the first time in his pro journey, he wasn't a limited player in the Giants' offensive production amid a weaker wide-receiving corps without its stud, Malik Nabers.

Olszewski would add a career-high 10 receptions for 145 yards and one touchdown, which he scored on a 24-yard target, marking his first catch of the season in Week 9 against the San Francisco 49ers.

In the season finale against the Dallas Cowboys, he finished as the Giants' leading receiver with eight catches on nine targets for 102 yards and his first game with a total over 100 yards.

Nobody could forget Olszewski's jaw-dropping moment in Week 13 against the Detroit Lions, when interim head coach Mike Kafka called for a trick play that featured the receiver taking a reverse ball and launching it 33 yards downfield to quarterback Jameis Winston, who took it the distance for the touchdown and one of the most memorable plays of the Giants' season.

Why the Giants Should Keep Him

Oct 19, 2025; Denver, Colorado, USA; New York Giants wide receiver Gunner Olszewski (80) warms up before the game against the Denver Broncos at Empower Field at Mile High. | Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images

From a special teams perspective, the Giants have a strong familiarity with Gunner Olszewski and the security blanket he provides as a return man.

He knows how to avoid mishaps in the battle for field position and rarely turns the ball over to ensure it gets back to the offense. He has just three muffs in his career and didn't cough up one this past season.

The more interesting element of Olszewski's case is whether he can find a permanent role in the Giants' wide receiving corps, which is expected to undergo some changes this offseason.

A lot is hanging in the fate of Wan'Dale Robinson as he tests the free agent market, and New York could be looking into adding a top prospect in the upcoming draft with their No. 5 pick.

If Robinson walks, it will obviously create a massive hole on the roster, and a couple more could join it as the Giants mull potential roster cuts ahead of free agency.

The Giants might just consider re-signing Olszewski and letting him fight for a spot on the receiver depth chart, which feels like a mystery at this point.

Why the Giants Shouldn't Keep Him

Detroit Lions safety Daniel Thomas (2) and linebacker Jack Campbell (46) and defensive end Tyrus Wheat (99) tackle New York Giants kick returner Gunner Olszewski (80) during the second half at Ford Field in Detroit on Sunday, Nov. 23, 2025. | Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

While Gunner Olszewski is a serviceable veteran for any team's special teams return units, he isn't as athletically gifted as other names that the Giants have trotted out there in recent seasons.

It was a decent surprise that he even won the job over Ihmir Smith-Marsette last summer, who had a 100-yard kickoff return in 2024 and flashes of the speed needed at the position.

The Giants had also experimented with cornerback Deonte Banks on kickoffs in the second half of the season, and the returns were somewhat positive.

Banks had seven fewer attempts than Olszewski, but beat him out in average (32.7 yards) while finishing with just 60 fewer return yards and a 95-yard touchdown return in Week 17 against the Las Vegas Raiders.

The Giants have an important decision to make regarding Banks' fifth-year rookie option, and it seems like they will lean against picking it up before the May 1 deadline.

One way he might be able to prove himself next season is through serving in a return capacity and knocking Olszewski out of the job.

Keep or Move On?

Jan 4, 2026; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; New York Giants wide receiver Gunner Olszewski (80) throws a pass during the fourth quarter against the Dallas Cowboys at MetLife Stadium. | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

Heading into the offseason, the Giants don't have a clear answer for a kickoff and punt return specialist, and they can't afford to have premium players handling those duties and risking injuries, as they did on several occasions during the 2025 season.

If another, more talented option doesn't surface before the 2026 season, they should bring back Gunner Olszewski as a familiar insurance policy and hope he can keep the stability going while New York focuses on improving the kicking element of its special teams.

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