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Giants' wide receiver Gunner Olszewski suffered a concerning injury on Friday

Former Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver and return specialist Gunner Olszewski is in danger of missing the entire 2026 NFL season. Heading into his fourth season with the New York Giants, Olszewski is now feared to have suffered a torn Achilles. He was carted off the practice field on Friday and will undergo further testing.

After going undrafted out of Bemidji State in 2019, he carved out a role for himself on the New England Patriots for three seasons. Then, he spent parts of the next two seasons with the Steelers. That led him to find his way to the Big Apple in 2023.

Gunner Olszewski Played Returner for the Pittsburgh Steelers

GettyGunner Olszewski led the league in punt return yardage in 2020.

Unless you are a highly-touted prospect, it is going to be hard for you to make an NFL roster. That is, unless you can carve out a role on special teams. This is exactly what Olszewski has done in each of his three NFL stops. While playing for Mike Tomlin in both 2022 and part of 2023, Olszewski was mainly a return man and a gadget player. He had nine punt returns for a total of 63 yards. He also returned five kicks for 70 yards. Aside from the return game, he had six catches for 53 yards and eight rushes for 39 yards.

As evidenced by his two starts and 18 total games played in the Steel City, his role was limited. Still, that did not stop him from continuing his NFL career once the Steelers ultimately decided to release him.

The Patriots and Giants Have Felt More Like Home for Gunner Olszewski

GettyGunner Olszewski was named a First-Team All-Pro in 2020.

It seems as though Olszewski has performed much better when he has been given more opportunities in places not named Pittsburgh. When he started his career in New England, he burst onto the scene during his second year there. His 346 punt returns and his punt return average of 17.3 led the league. He also brought one back for a touchdown. In the kick return game, he set a career high in kick return yards with 418. To follow his impressive 2021 season playing for Bill Belichick, he had another season where he recorded 300+ punt return yards.

Beyond his time with the Steelers, Olszewski has found the most success of his career with the Giants. In 2025, he had 50 combined returns for 898 total yards. His combined 17.9 yards per return was the second-best mark of his career.

However, this is likely to be the second time in the last three seasons that the former Division II star will miss the season with a lower-body injury. He was placed on injured reserve before the first week of the 2024 season due to a groin injury. Now, new head coach John Harbaugh will look to fill the role that Olszewski is leaving open for the time being. On a Giants team that has struggled to build a winner, this news is a tough pill to swallow for fans hoping that this year could be the year.