diff --git a/overlay/tio/queueset_gso_linux.go b/overlay/tio/queueset_gso_linux.go
index 8d04e34e..c422fb65 100644
--- a/overlay/tio/queueset_gso_linux.go
+++ b/overlay/tio/queueset_gso_linux.go
@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@ import (
 	"encoding/binary"
 	"errors"
 	"fmt"
+	"log/slog"
 	"sync/atomic"
 
 	"golang.org/x/sys/unix"
@@ -21,11 +22,13 @@ type offloadQueueSet struct {
 	// Queues created by Add inherit this and surface it via Offload.USOSupported so coalescers can gate USO emission.
 	usoEnabled bool
 	closed     atomic.Bool
+	// l is handed to each queue for its bad-vnet-header drop logging.
+	l *slog.Logger
 }
 
 // NewOffloadQueueSet creates a QueueSet that uses virtio_net_hdr to do TSO segmentation.
 // usoEnabled tells downstream queues whether the kernel agreed to deliver/accept GSO_UDP_L4 superpackets.
-func NewOffloadQueueSet(usoEnabled bool) (QueueSet, error) {
+func NewOffloadQueueSet(usoEnabled bool, l *slog.Logger) (QueueSet, error) {
 	shutdownFd, err := unix.Eventfd(0, unix.EFD_NONBLOCK|unix.EFD_CLOEXEC)
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, fmt.Errorf("failed to create eventfd: %w", err)
@@ -36,6 +39,7 @@ func NewOffloadQueueSet(usoEnabled bool) (QueueSet, error) {
 		pqi:        []Queue{},
 		shutdownFd: shutdownFd,
 		usoEnabled: usoEnabled,
+		l:          l,
 	}
 
 	return out, nil
@@ -46,7 +50,7 @@ func (c *offloadQueueSet) Queues() []Queue {
 }
 
 func (c *offloadQueueSet) Add(fd int) error {
-	x, err := newOffload(fd, c.shutdownFd, c.usoEnabled)
+	x, err := newOffload(fd, c.shutdownFd, c.usoEnabled, c.l)
 	if err != nil {
 		return err
 	}
diff --git a/overlay/tio/tio_gso_linux.go b/overlay/tio/tio_gso_linux.go
index cdfa5d15..1f0e9707 100644
--- a/overlay/tio/tio_gso_linux.go
+++ b/overlay/tio/tio_gso_linux.go
@@ -4,8 +4,10 @@
 package tio
 
 import (
+	"context"
 	"fmt"
 	"io"
+	"log/slog"
 	"os"
 	"sync/atomic"
 	"syscall"
@@ -87,9 +89,13 @@ type Offload struct {
 	// iovec[0] points at readVnetScratch
 	// iovec[1].Base/Len is updated per read to address the current rxBuf slot.
 	readIovs [2]unix.Iovec
+
+	// l is only consulted on the rare bad-vnet-header drop path; it lives
+	// after the hot state on purpose. May be nil (tests); drops go unlogged then.
+	l *slog.Logger
 }
 
-func newOffload(fd int, shutdownFd int, usoEnabled bool) (*Offload, error) {
+func newOffload(fd int, shutdownFd int, usoEnabled bool, l *slog.Logger) (*Offload, error) {
 	if err := unix.SetNonblock(fd, true); err != nil {
 		return nil, fmt.Errorf("failed to set tun fd non-blocking: %w", err)
 	}
@@ -99,6 +105,7 @@ func newOffload(fd int, shutdownFd int, usoEnabled bool) (*Offload, error) {
 		shutdownFd: shutdownFd,
 		usoEnabled: usoEnabled,
 		closed:     atomic.Bool{},
+		l:          l,
 
 		rxBuf:   make([]byte, tunRxBufCap),
 		gsoIovs: make([]unix.Iovec, 2, gsoMaxIovs),
@@ -178,7 +185,9 @@ func (r *Offload) Read() ([]Packet, error) {
 			return nil, err
 		}
 		if err := r.decodeRead(n); err != nil {
-			// Drop and read again. A bad packet should not kill the reader.
+			// Drop and read again. A bad packet should not kill the reader,
+			// but a systematic decode failure must not be invisible either.
+			r.logDroppedRead(err)
 			continue
 		}
 		break
@@ -200,6 +209,7 @@ func (r *Offload) Read() ([]Packet, error) {
 		if err := r.decodeRead(n); err != nil {
 			// Drop this packet and stop the drain; we'd rather hand off
 			// what we have than keep spinning here.
+			r.logDroppedRead(err)
 			break
 		}
 	}
@@ -207,6 +217,14 @@ func (r *Offload) Read() ([]Packet, error) {
 	return r.pending, nil
 }
 
+// logDroppedRead reports a tun packet dropped for a bad/unsupported virtio
+// header. Debug-gated so the happy path never pays for attribute assembly.
+func (r *Offload) logDroppedRead(err error) {
+	if r.l != nil && r.l.Enabled(context.Background(), slog.LevelDebug) {
+		r.l.Debug("dropping tun packet with bad virtio header", "error", err)
+	}
+}
+
 // decodeRead processes the packet sitting in rxBuf at rxOff (length pktLen).
 // The bytes stay in rxBuf:
 //   - for GSO_NONE we slice them as a regular IP datagram (running finishChecksum if NEEDS_CSUM is set);
diff --git a/overlay/tio/tun_file_linux_test.go b/overlay/tio/tun_file_linux_test.go
index 7d8b5c4e..670da94f 100644
--- a/overlay/tio/tun_file_linux_test.go
+++ b/overlay/tio/tun_file_linux_test.go
@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@ package tio
 
 import (
 	"errors"
+	"log/slog"
 	"os"
 	"sync"
 	"testing"
@@ -210,7 +211,7 @@ func TestPollQueueSet_Close_ClosesShutdownFd(t *testing.T) {
 // TestOffloadQueueSet_Close_ClosesShutdownFd mirrors the poll regression test
 // for the GSO/offload queueset.
 func TestOffloadQueueSet_Close_ClosesShutdownFd(t *testing.T) {
-	qs, err := NewOffloadQueueSet(false)
+	qs, err := NewOffloadQueueSet(false, slog.New(slog.DiscardHandler))
 	require.NoError(t, err)
 	c, ok := qs.(*offloadQueueSet)
 	require.True(t, ok)
diff --git a/overlay/tun_linux.go b/overlay/tun_linux.go
index fbc05a4c..b3335c4a 100644
--- a/overlay/tun_linux.go
+++ b/overlay/tun_linux.go
@@ -231,7 +231,7 @@ func newTunGeneric(c *config.C, l *slog.Logger, fd int, vnetHdr bool, offloadFla
 	var qs tio.QueueSet
 	var err error
 	if vnetHdr {
-		qs, err = tio.NewOffloadQueueSet(offloadUSOEnabled(offloadFlags))
+		qs, err = tio.NewOffloadQueueSet(offloadUSOEnabled(offloadFlags), l)
 	} else {
 		qs, err = tio.NewPollQueueSet()
 	}