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.
NEW YORK
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 with 407 snaps during his lone season with New England. A three-time national champion out of North Dakota State, Board first entered the NFL as an undrafted free agent with Baltimore in 2018 and circled back in 2024. A veteran of 116 games, 158 tackles, 3.5 sacks, three forced fumbles, one fumble recovery as well as four starts, the core linebacker signed with the Giants in March.
Younghoe Koo, kicker — While known for his tenure with the Atlanta Falcons, which featured a Pro Bowl nod in 2020 as he co-led the NFL in scoring, Koo spent two weeks on the practice squad in Foxborough the year prior. He was signed as kicking insurance after longtime incumbent Stephen Gostkowski was placed on injured reserve. The 2017 undrafted free agent out of Georgia Southern has also been a member of the Los Angeles Chargers and Atlanta Legends and stands 185-of-215 on field goals and 182-of-190 on extra points through 96 NFL games. The 31-year-old Koo headed to the Giants in September and was promoted from the practice squad to the 53-man roster in November.
NEW ENGLAND
Tommy DeVito, quarterback — The Patriots sat No. 4 in the waiver priority following the NFL’s 53-man reduction. That would be put to use on a quarterback who went 17-of-20 passing for 198 yards and three touchdowns during the August matchup in the Meadowlands. DeVito has dressed as the third emergency option since then behind veteran backup Joshua Dobbs and starter Drake Maye. The 27-year-old New Jersey native signed with his hometown team as a rookie free agent via Syracuse and Illinois in 2023. He went on to start eight of his dozen NFL appearances as a Giant, completing 65.3 percent of his passes for 1,358 yards with eight touchdowns and three interceptions. He also rushed for 227 yards with an additional trip to the end zone.
Rushawn Baker, running back — The Patriots added Baker to the practice squad shortly before the calendar turned to November. The rookie running back originally entered the NFL with the Giants as part of the organization’s undrafted class in May. He was waived and reverted to New York’s injured reserve during training camp before reaching an injury settlement. A former transfer from Bucknell, Ward finished his collegiate journey at Elon in 2024. The 22-year-old rushed for team-high 859 rushing yards and nine touchdowns over the course of 183 carries with the Phoenix, adding 48 receiving yards.
Jashaun Corbin, running back — The 25-year-old Corbin was signed by the Patriots following a workout in early October. He now resides on the practice squad’s injured reserve. Undrafted in 2022, the former Texas A&M and Florida State running back signed his first NFL contract with the Giants. He went on to spend his rookie season on the practice squad and was elevated for the playoffs. A year later, Corbin was signed back from the Carolina Panthers as a member of the 53-man roster. Handling three catches and one carry through six games, his NFL career includes 15 snaps on offense and 118 snaps on special teams. He earned a spot on the All-UFL team in the spring, too, after leading the San Antonio Brahmas and the league with 514 rushing yards.
John Jiles, wide receiver — The Patriots retained Jiles on a futures pact in January. And after clearing waivers following the 53-man roster deadline in August, he joined the practice squad at its formation. The 25-year-old wideout has remained on the show team through 12 games. New England had signed, released and re-signed Jiles to the practice squad during the 2024 season after visiting for a workout. Undrafted by way of Fort Scott Community College, Virginia Union and West Florida last year, Jiles spent his rookie training camp with the Giants and caught two passes for 41 yards in preseason action.
Cory Durden, defensive tackle — The Patriots signed Durden to the practice squad entering Labor Day weekend. The defensive tackle was promoted to the 53-man roster ahead of the September opener. He has since appeared in every game on the way to notching 15 tackles and a pair for loss. Pro Football Focus has Durden ranked fifth among NFL interior defensive linemen with an 82.7 pass-rush grade. The 26-year-old out of Florida State and North Carolina State entered the league as an undrafted rookie with Detroit in 2023. He made a subsequent stop with the Los Angeles Rams before being signed to the 53-man roster in East Rutherford late last campaign. And he was a Giant in the 2025 preseason finale against his current club. Durden had appeared in eight games prior to this fall, totaling 13 tackles through 128 snaps on defense and 37 snaps on special teams.
