Patriots Not Tendering Gunner Olszewski, Return Man Will Become Unrestricted Free Agent
FOXBORO (CBS) -- Gunner Olszewski is heading for unrestricted free agency. New England will not be extending the return man a restricted free agent tender ahead of Wednesday's deadline, according to ESPN's Mike Reiss.
That means the former All-Pro will be free to sign with any team when the new league year begins at 4 p.m. Giving Olszewski a tender would have locked him at $2.4 million for the 2022 season, which is likely too rich for the cap-strapped Patriots.
But there remains a chance that he could return to New England on a cheaper deal, with the Patriots reportedly still interested in his services.
Olszewski went undrafted out of Bemidji State in 2019 but was invited to Patriots rookie camp, where the team used him as a receiver. He was initially told that he wasn't going to make the roster on cut-down day, but the Patriots then traded Keion Crossen to clear a spot for Olszewski. He returned 20 punts and caught two passes over eight games his rookie season before landing on IR with ankle and hamstring injuries in November.
He made a much bigger impact in 2020, when Olszewski was named to the AP All-Pro First Team after leading the NFL with an average of 17.3 yards on his 20 punt returns, setting a Patriots franchise record in the process. He had the most returns of 20-plus yards (four) and 40-plus yards (three) that season, and returned a punt 70 yards for his first career touchdown in a blowout win over the L.A. Chargers.
His averaged dipped significantly in 2021 though, when Olszewski averaged just 11.6 yards on his 26 punt returns. He also had 18 kickoff returns in each of the last two seasons, averaging 23.2 yards per return.