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Wide receiver Zach Pascal Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

WR Zach Pascal Will Likely Need to Make His Mark on Special Teams for NY Giants

Originally posted on New York Giants on SI
By Stephen Lebitsch | Last updated Jun 27, 2025 12:16 PM ET

The New York Giants have done their part to stack some depth in the wide receiver room ahead of training camp, with a focus on adding taller, more physical receivers.

The only question is how that depth will be sorted out towards the bottom, where guys like Zach Pascal, a 6-foot-2 receiver, will compete for a coveted spot on the roster.

Pascal is an eight-year NFL veteran and former undrafted free agent in 2018 who signed with the Giants back in March to add a fourth team to his resume and another name into the mix of their preseason talent pool for reinforcements in the receiving corps.

One interesting aspect of Pascal's NFL journey is that his time spent out wide has seen some unusual twists and turns, ultimately leading to his current home in East Rutherford.

He first joined the Colts for the 2018 season, after a brief stint with the Commanders who signed him as an undrafted free agent after the 2017 draft. Pascal steadily built up a more involved role in the Colts' passing offense, posting two seasons with at least 41 receptions and 607 yards, along with a total of 12 touchdowns, in his first three seasons.

From the 2021 season onward, Pascal's impact as a receiver has slowly receded to near irrelevance. His production dropped nearly in half in his final season with Indianapolis before barely scratching the leaderboards in one-year stints with Philadelphia and Arizona, where he appeared in all but three games between the two teams.

What has gone the opposite direction is Pascal's contributions as a special teams ace, where he has posted over 200 total snaps in each of the last three campaigns. That work includes heavier reps on the kickoff units for his clubs but also extends to punt duties, where he has graded fairly well in the same span as a pro.

What exactly has caused the shift in Pascal's role? It's hard to say, but the challenge awaits him and the Giants to see whether he can reestablish himself as an offensive player within the organization or simply contribute to their special teams ranks for the 2025 season.

Pascal is a pretty athletic receiver with decent size and strong hands to secure the football away from his body, especially in the deep field, which are attributes that the Giants should love to have in their system.

The only question is whether his speed and separation abilities can hinder his chances of securing a reserve spot in either part of the game with New York.

Zach Pascal, WR

2024 in Review

Ever since he joined the Arizona Cardinals in 2023, Pascal was rarely present in the offensive huddle and was primarily used as a weapon on special teams.

That trend continued into the 2024 season, where the veteran pass catcher saw just 17 offensive snaps and didn't record a single reception for the first time in his NFL career.

Instead, Pascal saw his heaviest workload as a special teams contributor, logging 277 total snaps spread throughout all four kickoff and punt units. The majority of his snaps came as the Cardinals' main kick returner (89), but he also took on significant reps as one of their gunners in kick return (87).

Despite Arizona having one of the more statistically efficient offenses in the league last season, their receivers were fairly active in a handful of their games. Pascal had 10 contests with at least five kickoff returns and kickoff coverage plays, which were among the highest on the team.

He finished the season with an 86.9 special teams grade, which marked the best grade of his career and resulted in 14 total tackles in the department.

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Contract/Cap Info

Zach Pascal signed a one-year deal with the Giants for $1,422,500 for the upcoming season. It includes a base salary of $1,255,500 and three different bonuses: a $90,000 signing bonus, a $62,500 roster bonus, and a $15,000 workout bonus.

His deal qualifies as a veteran minimum salary benefit, meaning that he’ll count for just $1.197 million against the cap if he makes the roster.

If Pascal doesn't make the 53-man roster, the Giants will incur a $90,000 dead money charge; if Pascal meets the requirements for his workout bonus, the dead money hit increases to $105,000.

2025 Preview

The most likely route for Pascal onto the Giants' roster is on special teams. The question, though, is in what capacity?

Ihmir Smith-Marsette, who provided the Giants some semblance of a positive return game that they had been severely lacking for several years, is the incumbent at returner, and there is no reason for that not to continue.

Rather, Pascal, who has plenty of experience playing on all the special teams units, could see making his mark that way, including as a punt gunner, a spot that Bryce Ford-Wheaton is trying to hang onto.