The New England Patriots are preparing for their biggest game of the season as they inch closer to Super Bowl LX against the Seattle Seahawks.
While the Patriots’ mind is on the challenge ahead, beating Seattle, their focus will shift quickly to the offseason when the clock strikes 0:00. The Patriots will have a ton of cap space at their disposal to re-sign their free agents, but their job won't be done after taking care of those players. The front office must also make sure financial reserves are available to spend on outside players to bolster other positions on their 90-man roster.
At the same time, New England can create more cap space by releasing certain players on its roster. Antonio Gibson is one of those players who could find himself not in New England when the 2026 season begins.
Antonio Gibson Could Find Himself on Chopping Block When Offseason Begins
The veteran running back, who signed a three-year, $11.25 million deal in March 2024, entered this season as the RB3 behind Rhamondre Stevenson and rookie TreVeyon Henderson.
The Patriots' reshaping of their backfield led to fewer snaps for Gibson on offense but more opportunities on special teams. The 27-year-old running back had 106 yards and a TD on 25 carries, but he made his presence felt with a kickoff return TD while averaging 28.5 yards per kick return on 12 attempts.
However, Gibson’s season sadly came to a screeching halt in Week 5 as he suffered a torn ACL in his right knee.
Gibson’s injury quickly created an opportunity for practice squad RB Terrell Jennings to emerge as the Patriots’ RB3 for the majority of the season before being sidelined by a concussion. And Jennings’ concussion led to D’Ernest Johnson getting his turn as New England's RB3 over the last several weeks.
With Johnson and Jennings showing they can be utilized on offense and special teams, plus the return of UDFA running back Lan Larison from a broken foot, the Patriots have more than enough options to fill their RB3 spot.
According to OverTheCap.com, if the Patriots cut the 27-year-old Gibson before June 1, they would save $3.14 million in cap space and only carry $1 million in dead cap.
As we previously mentioned, New England will be well off in terms of cap space. But cutting the veteran running back before free agency, or sometime during the offseason, should allow him to find a new opportunity elsewhere to have a bigger workload.
The Gibson era in New England hasn’t been a disappointment by any means, as he had 744 total yards and a touchdown in 2024. However, once the Patriots added Henderson, it signaled a new era in the backfield.
If the veteran running back can look close to what he was before injury, he should be able to make an impact somewhere in the league, especially at his age.