The Pittsburgh Steelers lost their return man last night when Ray-Ray McCloud signed with the 49ers, but they get a new one today. According to reports, the Steelers are signing All-Pro return man Gunner Olszewski.
The contract is a two-year deal worth $4.2 million.
Former #Patriots All-Pro kick returner Gunner Olszewski is headed to the #Steelers, source said. He gets a 2-year deal worth $4.2M.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 18, 2022
Olszewski, 25, entered the NFL in 2019 as an undrafted free agent signing by the New England Patriots. The former Bemidji State cornerback made a position switch once he arrived in Foxboro, working with the wide receivers and returning punts in his first training camp. He would eventually become an All-Pro returner after averaging 17.3 yards per punt return in 2020.
While Olszewski is a solid return man, he doesn't offer the offensive upside that McCloud provided. He only played 6% of the offensive snaps for New England last season.
The Patriots declined to offer him a tender as a restricted free agent. The Patriots had three different options to tender Olszewski. They could have either used the first-round level at a cost of $5.562 million or second-round level at a cost of $3.986 million, or gone with the original round tender which would have given them the right of first refusal. If a team did not sign Olszewski to an offer sheet, it would have cost New England $2.433 million.
