Wide Receiver Gunner Olszewski Re-Signs With New York Giants
Gunner Olszewski is coming back to the New York Giants on a one-year deal, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. He was set to hit the open market next week as an unrestricted free agent, but instead, he and the team made it official before he ever had to pack his bags.
For a player whose career has been anything but a straight line, this signing feels like a small but satisfying win. Not just for the Giants, but for Olszewski himself.
Why the Giants Needed Olszewski Back
New Giants Head Coach John Harbaugh doesn’t hide his feelings about special teams. The man built a Hall of Fame coaching career in Baltimore partly on the backs of elite special teamers, and he has made it crystal clear that the kicking game will be a genuine priority in New York. Olszewski fits that vision like a glove.
Last season, he handled the bulk of return duties for the Giants and handled them well. His numbers, 24 punt returns for 216 yards (9.0 yards per return) and 26 kickoff returns for 682 yards (26.2 yards per return), are the kind that make special teams coordinators sleep soundly at night. He also contributed on offense, pulling in 10 catches for 145 yards and a touchdown.
That’s not a superstar stat line. But for a player in Olszewski’s role? That’s exactly what you need.
Olszewski’s Journey To This Point Is Worth Appreciating
Olszewski’s path to a multi-year NFL career is the kind of story that sounds made up. He came into the league as an undrafted free agent out of Bemidji State in 2019. Not Alabama. Not Ohio State. Bemidji State. He walked into the New England Patriots‘ rookie minicamp on a tryout basis and somehow earned a roster spot. That’s the kind of grit you can’t teach.
He bounced around after New England declined to tender him as a restricted free agent. He signed with Pittsburgh on a two-year, $4.2 million deal, only to get released. He caught on with the Giants’ taxi squad, then spent time bouncing on and off New York’s practice squad in 2023.
He re-signed for 2024, got cut after training camp, then got signed back shortly after. It’s the kind of roller coaster that would break most players mentally. Not Olszewski. The guy just keeps showing up.
What Olszewski Brings To the 2026 Giants
Now 29 years old, Olszewski isn’t going to be confused for a wide receiver No. 1 anytime soon. But that’s not the point. His value has always been in the return game and his ability to do the dirty work that doesn’t show up in highlight reels.
Under Harbaugh, that work will be noticed. Harbaugh’s teams don’t treat special teams as an afterthought; they treat it as a competitive advantage. And when you have a reliable, experienced returner who has already bought into your culture? You don’t let that walk out the door for nothing.
Re-signing Olszewski before free agency opened was the smart move. Low risk, clear value, and continuity for a unit that the new coaching staff genuinely cares about.
The Bottom Line On Olszewski
This isn’t a signing that moves the needle for fantasy football purposes. It won’t dominate the headlines the way a big-money wide receiver deal would. But it’s the kind of quiet, sensible roster management that teams need to get right if they want to be competitive.
