The New England Patriots decided to shake up their running back room on Monday. Antonio Gibson, who originally joined the team on a three-year, $11.25 million free agency deal in 2024, was released after two seasons and 22 total games with the organization.
The move itself did not come as too big a surprise. Not only was Gibson little more than a rotational option in the Patriots’ backfield with an unclear outlook given that Rhamondre Stevenson and TreVeyon Henderson reside atop the depth chart, he also is currently rehabbing a torn ACL suffered in October.
That said, let’s take a bigger-picture view at what the transaction means from a New England perspective.
Running back depth takes a hit
The Patriots entered the offseason with six true running backs under contract for the 2026 season, including Gibson as the projected RB3 behind the aforementioned Rhamondre Stevenson and TreVeyon Henderson. With him no longer a piece of the puzzle, one layer of depth has been removed behind the top pair and is leaving the group looking as follows:
Running back (5): Rhamondre Stevenson (38), TreVeyon Henderson (32), Terrell Jennings (26), Lan Larison (34), Elijah Mitchell (45)
Fullback (1): Brock Lampe (46)
Outside of those six players, the Patriots also have two backfield players headed for free agency. Both running back Deneric Prince and fullback Jack Westover are exclusive rights free agents.
Even if Prince and Westover are retained, the Patriots are lacking established depth or long-term developmental upside behind Stevenson and Henderson. While they project as a formidable one-two punch, no Gibson as the third option means that the team might be on the lookout for another player with a similarly versatile skillset.
New primary kickoff returner in 2026
Before tearing his ACL in Week 5 against the Buffalo Bills, Gibson had not just served as the Patriots’ third running back but also their top kickoff return man. As such, he had averaged 28.5 yards on his 12 runbacks and also scored a 90-yard touchdown in Week 2 versus Miami.
Once Gibson was lost for the year, the Patriots were unable to find similar production and home-run potential. Six other players returned kickoffs for them on the year — running backs Rhamondre Stevenson, TreVeyon Henderson, Terrell Jennings and D’Ernest Johnson as well as wide receivers Kyle Williams and Efton Chism III — but none emerged as a clear featured option.
With Gibson now officially out of the picture, the competition will start at zero again. Based on flashes, Henderson and Williams seem like the frontrunners at the moment, but there are a lot of factors plus future roster changes that are likely to change that projection.
Cap space created — for now?
One of the reasons why Gibson getting released was no surprise was his contract. Carrying a $4.14 million salary cap number, he was the 21st most-expensive player on the team right now. That in itself might not have been a release-worthy problem, but the structure of the pact invited a change: only his $1 million signing bonus proration for the 2026 season was fully-guaranteed.
That $1 million will now be added to the Patriots’ dead cap space for 2026. Meanwhile, the team created $2.14 million in net savings: his gross savings of $3.14 million minus another player with a $1 million salary cap number taking his spot on the Top 51 list of contracts to be counted against the cap once the new league year starts in mid-March.
According to salary cap expert Miguel Benzan, Gibson’s release now puts the Patriots $44.3 million under a projected league cap of $304.3 million.
Considering that Gibson was released with a failed physical designation, however, it appears that he qualifies for the NFL’s injury protection benefit. If so and he remains unsigned heading into the new season, the Patriots might be charged $2.1 million against their cap at the start of the regular season. In that case, the financial gains of releasing the 27-year-old would be minimal.
Mayo era moving further in the distance
The Patriots’ 2024 offseason was their first without Bill Belichick presiding over their football operations. So, who was the first free agent added under the new regime led by Eliot Wolf and then-head coach Jerod Mayo? That would be one Mr. Antonio Gibson.
With Gibson now gone, so is another remnant of the Mayo-era Patriots. In fact, less than 14 months after his firing, only 23 players remain with the team who played under the one-and-done coach as pointed out by Ethan. Hurwitz of Sports Illustrated.
Sign of goodwill
While his failed physical might have forced their hand a bit, the Patriots had no real reason to release Gibson now as opposed to closer to the start of free agency on March 11. However, with the entire league embarking on Indianapolis this week for the NFL Scouting Combine, getting cut now allows Gibson a head start of sorts.
Sure, teams will be cautious when it comes to a running back who tore his ACL just four months ago, but Gibson’s name is at least out there already and he can start taking visits and undergoing physical examination with other clubs right away. Other veteran running backs who might end up competing against him on the open market might not be in that same position yet.