The Pittsburgh Steelers are adding a boost to their special teams unit while jabbing their AFC rival in the New England Patriots. As Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network reports, Pittsburgh is signing All-Pro returner Gunner Olszewski to a two-year deal worth $4.2 million. New England recently decided that they would not be tendering him as a restricted free agent, meaning that he was free to sign with any team in that league from that point forward, which opened the avenue for him to land with the Steelers.
Olszewski has spent his entire three-year NFL career as a member of the Patriots after he was signed as an undrafted free agent in 2019 out of Division-II Bemidji State where he played cornerback. Upon coming into the league, the 25-year-old carved out a role for himself on special teams as a return specialist.
He led the league with 346 punt return yards in 2020, which helped him earn first-team All-Pro honors that season. In 16 games played in 2021, Olszewski fielded 26 punts and had a yards per return average of 11.9, which was good for second-best in the NFL. He also returned 18 kickoffs for an average of 23.1 yards last year.
Meanwhile, Olszewski saw minimal action as a receiver. For his career, he has nine receptions for 127 yards and a touchdown. He’s also rushed six times for 32 yards.