BREAKING: New York Giants Terminate Contract of All-Pro Punt Returner After Embarrassing 13-10 Overtime Loss Against New York Jets – Week 8

The New York Giants have made a move regarding their special teams on Monday. The newly acquired Gunner Olszewski is no longer with the team after being cut after just one game.

The punt returner played well on Sunday, returning six punts for 56 yards in the Giants’ 13-10 loss to the New York Jets. Olszewski joined the G-Men last week after being released by the Pittsburgh Steelers. He is now free to sign or re-sign at any time.

Gunner Olszewski played well in his lone game with the Giants. His 15-yard punt return in the second quarter marked the longest by a New York Giant this season. Olszewski averaged 9.3 yards per punt return in Week 8, doubling the average of any other New York Giant return this season. However, despite impressing, New York terminated his contract after his team’s loss.

Olszewski earned All-Pro honors in 2020 with the New England Patriots. He returned 20 punts for a league-best 246 yards and one touchdown while averaging an incredible 17.3 yards per game. The 26-year-old played with the Pittsburgh Steelers before joining the Giants.

The New York Giants will battle the Las Vegas Raiders next Sunday. With Gunner Olszewski off the roster, the Giants will operate with a new punt returner in Week 9. New York has used Sterling Shepard and Eric Gray to return kicks in 2023. 

Shepard has returned three punts for ten yards, with a long of five yards. However, the 30-year-old had yet to return a punt in his seven-year career before this season. Meanwhile, Eric Gray has seven punt returns for 28 yards, with a long of 14. Gray was placed on the injured reserve last week, leaving Shepard as the only player on the active roster with a punt return this season. 

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The struggling New York Giants have traded defensive end Leonard Williams to the NFC West-leading Seattle Seahawks for a pair of draft picks, according to a person with knowledge of the trade.

The person, who spoke to the AP on the condition of anonymity because the teams have not announced the deal, said the Giants will receive a second-round draft choice in 2024 and a fifth-rounder in 2025 for Williams, who had a $32-million salary cap hit this season, the highest on the team.

Seattle (5-2) has two third-round picks next year, which will help soften the blow of giving up a second-rounder.

The deal came just a day before the NFL trade deadline at 4 p.m. Tuesday.

Adding Williams is the second move Seattle has made in the past week to add to its defensive line. The Seahawks reunited with veteran defensive end Frank Clark last week after Uchenna Nwosu was lost for the regular season with a pectoral injury in Week 7 against Arizona.

Williams will likely step into a rotation with Dre’Mont Jones, Mario Edwards Jr. and Jarran Reed on Seattle’s defensive front. Reed in particular has played a lot of snaps as a shaded nose tackle through the first seven games, and the Seahawks have wanted to get more pressure with the interior of their defensive line.

Ultimately, adding Williams will make that group deeper and give the Seahawks the flexibility to use the veteran in different spots on the defensive line.

The addition of Williams continued Seattle’s remodel of its defensive line from last year after it was a clear focus in the offseason. The Seahawks brought back Reed, signed Jones and Edwards to free agent deals and spent draft picks on nose tackle Cameron Young, edge rusher Derick Hall and big defensive end Mike Morris. The Seahawks took a hit to their depth when Morris was lost to a season-ending shoulder injury after Week 1.

The Giants were expected to challenge for a second straight playoff berth entering the season, but they have been beset by injuries on their offense line and at quarterback this season and the offense is among the worst in the league.

New York’s 2-6 start made it a seller at the deadline and Williams has been playing well lately. Williams blocked a field-goal attempt against Washington a week ago Sunday and has been steady against the run.