 Olszewski with theBemidji State Beavers in 2017 | |||||||||||||
| No. 80 – New York Giants | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Positions | Wide receiver Return specialist | ||||||||||||
| Roster status | Active | ||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||
| Born | (1996-11-26)November 26, 1996 (age 29) Alvin, Texas, U.S. | ||||||||||||
| Height | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) | ||||||||||||
| Weight | 190 lb (86 kg) | ||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||
| High school | Alvin | ||||||||||||
| College | Bemidji State (2015–2018) | ||||||||||||
| NFL draft | 2019: undrafted | ||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||
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| Awards and highlights | |||||||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics as of Week 8, 2025 | |||||||||||||
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Kaleb Gunner Olszewski[1] (/oʊˈʃɛski/oh-SHESS-kee)[2] (born November 26, 1996) is an American professionalfootballwide receiver andreturn specialist for theNew York Giants of theNational Football League. He playedcollege football for theBemidji State Beavers as acornerback. He previously played for theNew England Patriots and thePittsburgh Steelers.
Olszewski was born inAlvin, Texas, to Eric and Collette Olszewski. He graduated fromAlvin High School, where he playedfootball, where he set school records for tackles and interceptions,[3] and baseball;[4] He has two brothers: one older and one younger.
Olszewski played for theBemidji State University Beavers inBemidji, Minnesota, aDivision II school, as a cornerback.[5] In his 2015 freshman season, Olszewski was namedNorthern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) Newcomer of the Year. Olszewski won Defensive Player of the Year in the NSIC as a senior in 2018.[6] He also returned punts and held for field goals and extra points.[1]
| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | 20-yard shuttle | Three-cone drill | Vertical jump | Broad jump | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 ft9+5⁄8 in (1.77 m) | 178 lb (81 kg) | 29+1⁄8 in (0.74 m) | 8+1⁄2 in (0.22 m) | 4.56 s | 1.59 s | 2.60 s | 4.37 s | 6.88 s | 36.0 in (0.91 m) | 9 ft 10 in (3.00 m) | ||
| All values fromPro Day[7] | ||||||||||||
Olszewski was not selected in the2019 NFL draft. After the draft, he was invited to participate in rookieminicamps by theMinnesota Vikings, who used him at cornerback,[8] and the New England Patriots, who used him atwide receiver.[9] On May 23, 2019, after the retirement ofJared Veldheer gave the Patriots a roster opening, they signed Olszewski to an undrafted free agent contract.[10] The three-year deal had a $2,500 signing bonus.[11]
On August 31, the day that teams were required to trim their preseason 90-man rosters to 53-man rosters, the Patriots told Olszewski that morning that he would be waived; instead, the Patriots kept him after trading cornerbackKeion Crossen less than an hour before the deadline.[12]
He made his NFL debut in the Patriots' 33–3 Week 1 win against thePittsburgh Steelers, returning two punts for 35 yards (averaging 17.5 yards per return).[13] He recorded his first receptions in Week 6 against theNew York Giants; targeted three times, he had two receptions, for five and 29 yards.[14] He was placed oninjured reserve on November 19, 2019, with ankle and hamstring injuries.[15]
On September 12, 2020, Olszewski was placed on injured reserve with a foot injury.[16] He was activated on October 5, before the team's Week 4 game against theKansas City Chiefs; because of theCOVID-19 pandemic, the minimum stay on IR for the 2020 season was reduced to three games.[17]
In Week 12, against theArizona Cardinals, Olszewski returned a punt 82 yards to the end zone, but it was called back because of an illegal block by linebackerAnfernee Jennings; after the penalty, it was recorded as a 58-yard return.[18] A week later, against theLos Angeles Chargers, Olszewski had three punt returns totaling 145 yards. His first went for 70 yards and was the first touchdown of his career; he followed it up with returns of 14 and 61 yards. He also added the first receiving touchdown of his career in the fourth quarter, catching a 38-yard touchdown pass from backup quarterbackJarrett Stidham ingarbage time during the Patriots' 45–0 shutout.[18] Olszewski was named theAFC Special Teams Player of the Week for his performance in Week 13.[19] He finished the season with a league-high 346 punt return yards on 20 returns. His average of 17.3 yards per return was a franchise record and the second-highest total since theAFL-NFL merger (afterLeodis McKelvin's 18.7 yards per return in 2012).[20]
In January 2021 Olszewski was named to the2020 AP All-Pro first team as a punt returner. He is the first Patriots punt returner so honored.[21] He received 28 of 50 votes at punt returner, as well as one vote for special teamer.[22] One voter, Aaron Schatz of Football Outsiders, noted that Olszewski's punt returns had twice the value of any other punt returner.[23]
Through 9 games, Olszewski ranked second in punt return yards, with 248 yards on 18 returns. In his second game in SoFi Stadium against the Chargers, Olszewski had four returns for 80 yards, with three returns of 20+ yards, a feat last accomplished by a Patriot in 2000 (Troy Brown).[24]
On March 21, 2022, Olszewski signed a two-year contract with thePittsburgh Steelers.[25] Olszewski primarily played on the Steelers' special teams unit and saw limited playing time as a receiver. He finished the 2022 season having caught five passes on seven targets for 53 yards.[26]
Olszewski would make his only catch of the 2023 season with the Steelers during Week 2's divisional matchup against theCleveland Browns. He would then fumble the catch, causing the Steelers to lose possession.[27] During this same game, Olszewski went in as the team'skick returner. After a Cleveland field goal, he caught the Browns' kickoff at the Steelers' nine yard line near the sideline and toe tapped in bounds before leaving the field of play, positioning the Steelers deep in their own territory.[28] Had Olszewski not made the catch and let the ball bounce out of bounds on its own, the Steelers would've automatically been placed at their 40-yard line as NFL rules dictate a kickoff out of bounds is an immediate touchback with a 15-yard penalty.[29]
He was released on October 21, 2023.[30]
On October 23, 2023, theNew York Giants signed Olszewski to theirpractice squad, and promoted to the active roster five days later.[31][32] In Week 17 against theLos Angeles Rams, Olszewski returned a punt 94 yards for a touchdown. At first it was reported that he had broken the club record set byAmani Toomer.[33] However, research revealed that the record of 95 yards set byAl Bloodgood on September 30, 1928, still stands.[34]
On March 11, 2024, Olszewski re-signed with the Giants.[35] He suffered a groin injury before Week 1 and was placed on injured reserve on September 14.[36]
On July 29, 2025, Olszewski re-signed with the Giants.[37] On September 21, following an injury toplacekickerGraham Gano during a Week 3 match-up against theKansas City Chiefs, Olszewski stood in at the position ofholder during a PAT attempt in place of punterJamie Gillan, who replaced Gano as kicker.[38] During a 34–24 loss to theSan Francisco 49ers, Olszewski caught a 24-yard touchdown on his first catch and target of the season, his first receiving touchdown since 2020.[39] In a 34-27 loss to theDetroit Lions, he threw his first career pass toJameis Winston on a trick play, resulting in a 33-yard touchdown[40].
| Legend | |
|---|---|
| Led the league | |
| Bold | Career best |
| Year | Team | Games | Receiving | Rushing | KO/Punt Returns | Fumbles | ||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Rec | Yds | Y/R | Lng | TD | Att | Yds | Y/A | Lng | TD | Ret | Yds | Y/R | Lng | TD | Fum | Lost | ||||
| 2019 | NE | 8 | 0 | 2 | 34 | 17.0 | 29 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 20 | 179 | 9.0 | 22 | 0 | 1 | 1 | ||
| 2020 | NE | 13 | 2 | 5 | 62 | 12.4 | 38 | 1 | 5 | 23 | 4.6 | 12 | 0 | 38 | 764[a] | 20.1[b] | 70 | 1[c] | 1 | 0 | ||
| 2021 | NE | 16 | 0 | 2 | 31 | 15.5 | 22 | 0 | 1 | 9 | 9.0 | 9 | 0 | 44 | 725 | 16.5 | 37 | 0 | 3 | 1 | ||
| 2022 | PIT | 16 | 2 | 5 | 53 | 10.6 | 31 | 0 | 8 | 39 | 4.9 | 18 | 0 | 11 | 101 | 9.2 | 27 | 0 | 2 | 1 | ||
| 2023 | PIT | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 32 | 10.7 | 24 | 0 | 2 | 2 | ||
| NYG | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 20 | 244 | 12.2 | 94 | 1 | 2 | 1 | |||
| 2024 | NYG | 0 | 0 | — | Did not play due to injury | |||||||||||||||||
| 2025 | NYG | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 108 | 12.0 | 29 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Career | 67 | 4 | 15 | 180 | 12.0 | 38 | 1 | 14 | 71 | 5.1 | 18 | 0 | 146 | 2,153 | 14.7 | 94 | 2 | 11 | 6 | |||
| Year | Team | Games | Returning | Fumbles | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Ret | Yds | Y/R | Lng | TD | Fum | Lost | ||
| 2019 | NE | 0 | 0 | Did not play due to injury | ||||||
| 2021 | NE | 1 | 0 | 5 | 103 | 20.6 | 26 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Career | 1 | 0 | 5 | 103 | 20.6 | 26 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |