Pats Pulpit
Mike Kafka once joined the quarterback room in Foxborough on a futures contract. But the connections between the New England Patriots and New York Giants extend beyond the interim head coach. Beyond the staffs featuring Carmen Bricillo, James Ferentz, Troy Brown, Bryan Cox, Cam Achord, Zak Kuhr, Ben McAdoo and Tom Quinn, too.
From the active rosters to the practice squads to the reserve lists, 10 current players in the fold for Monday night have been a member of both locker rooms.
Here’s a glance through that list of former Patriots and former Giants heading into the 8:15 p.m. ET kickoff at Gillette Stadium.
Gunner Olszewski, wide receiver — The Giants re-signed the 28-year-old Olszewski as training camp opened. He has since appeared in every game, catching his first touchdown since his Patriots days and adding another as a passer. Olszewski, who spent last year on injured reserve, has made 22 appearances in all for New York dating back to 2023. The former Division II defensive back out of Bemidji State entered the NFL as an undrafted tryout with New England in 2019. He outlasted the 53-man deadline and went on to check into 37 games from there. Olszewski turned nine catches into 127 yards and a touchdown on offense. And on special teams, where first-team All-Pro honors arrived, he returned 36 kickoffs for 834 yards to go with 66 punts for 834 yards and another touchdown. Olszewski was not tendered as a restricted free agent in 2022.
Jermaine Eluemunor, offensive tackle — Two years after being chosen by the Baltimore Ravens in the fifth round of the 2017 NFL draft, the former PFWA All-Rookie selection from Lackawanna College and Texas A&M landed in the AFC East. Eluemunor did so through a 2019 trade involving capital in the fourth and sixth rounds. He went on to make 22 appearances along New England’s offensive line, starting eight, before spending time with the Miami Dolphins, Jacksonville Jaguars and Las Vegas Raiders. The 30-year-old moved on to the NFC East in 2024 and has since started all 26 of his games at right tackle. This campaign, Eluemunor stands with 93 percent of the offensive workload.
Bryan Hudson, center — The 24-year-old Hudson closed out 2024 on the practice squad of the Giants and was retained with a futures pact. He signed back to the practice squad after clearing waivers in August. The undrafted offensive lineman out of Virginia Tech and Louisville originally entered the league with the Detroit Lions last year. But a spot on the initial practice squad soon followed at Gillette Stadium. Hudson was active yet did not play as a standard elevation last fall before being released by the Patriots.
Chris Board, linebacker — New York placed Board on injured reserve due to a chest injury midway through September. The 30-year-old appeared in every game for the 2023 Patriots before being released that subsequent offseason. He recorded 10 tackles and tied for the lead on special teams...
