New York Giants wide receiver Calvin Austin III will miss the entire 2026 season after tearing his ACL during practice this week, multiple outlets including ESPN, The Athletic and UPI confirmed.
Austin suffered the injury Tuesday during a one-on-one drill at the Giants' Quest Diagnostics Training Center in East Rutherford, New Jersey, immediately grabbing his right knee before being carted off the field. Giants owner John Mara was among those who came over to console him in the moments following the injury. ESPN's Adam Schefter reported Wednesday that testing confirmed a torn ACL, along with additional ligament damage, pointing to a lengthy recovery process. The Giants have since placed Austin on injured reserve, officially ending his first season with the franchise.
Austin, 27, signed a one-year deal with New York in March worth up to $4.5 million with incentives, joining the Giants after spending his first three NFL seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers. He was expected to step into a significant role as the team's top slot receiver in an offense led by quarterback Jaxson Dart, with Odell Beckham Jr. among the veterans now likely to see an expanded role in his absence.
A fourth-round pick out of Memphis in the 2022 NFL Draft, Austin's career has been repeatedly interrupted by injury, including missing his entire rookie season with a foot injury and a shoulder setback during the 2025 season with Pittsburgh. Despite that, he carved out a role with the Steelers, totaling 84 receptions for 1,100 yards and eight touchdowns over 48 games. He delivered some of the most memorable moments of his career last season, hauling in the game-winning touchdown that clinched a playoff berth for Pittsburgh over the Baltimore Ravens in Week 18, along with go-ahead scores against the New York Jets and New England Patriots.
Austin switched agents this past offseason, a move that signaled he was unlikely to remain in Pittsburgh, before ultimately landing with the Giants in free agency. Now on a one-year deal and facing a long recovery, his path back to an NFL roster in 2027 remains uncertain as he works to rehabilitate from the injury.