Antonio Gibson is one of the handful of New England Patriots free agents who haven't found a home — new or old — since the market opened earlier this week. The veteran running back is looking for a fresh start after tearing his ACL against the Buffalo Bills in Week 5 before being released by the Patriots last month in a move that wiped his $2.85 million salary off the books.
What Gibson has done in the NFL — 3,287 rushing yards, 1,495 receiving yards, and 31 total touchdowns — can't be ignored; however, the fact that he's coming off a major injury is likely why he's yet to put pen to paper. He'll likely need a team or coach who has the utmost faith in a potential turnaround to end his time in free agency.
With that being said, one team sticks out the most as a likely destination, and it's a team that the Patriots will go head-to-head against at some point next season.
Antonio Gibson's Free Agency Could Lead Him to Chiefs
After being dumped by the Patriots, Gibson's best chance at redemption could be with the Kansas City Chiefs.
Upgrading the backfield was a top priority for the Chiefs this offseason, which they addressed by signing Super Bowl MVP (and new Pats nemesis) Kenneth Walker III to a three-year contract. They didn't stop their RB additions there, signing former Arizona Cardinals running back Emari Demercado as their new No. 2 option.
Although the top spots in the pecking order are addressed, the Chiefs could still be interested in adding competition for Brashard Smith. The second-year RB wasn't trusted often as a rookie, and if he isn't ready to take that next step, Kansas City might want to think about an RB3 competition that could use someone like Gibson in the mix.
It also helps that Gibson has a natural connection to the Chiefs' coaching staff. Back in January, Kansas City reunited with offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy, who held the same role — as well as assistant head coach — with the Commanders back in 2023. While it was far from Gibson's most productive season, he still averaged 4.1 yards per carry in the Bieniemy-led unit, which is better than what the Chiefs saw from their RB options last season:
- Isiah Pacheco: 462 rushing yards on 118 carries (3.9 YPC)
- Kareem Hunt: 611 rushing yards on 163 carries (3.7 YPC)
- Brashard Smith: 151 rushing yards on 44 carries (3.4 YPC)
Playing behind Walker and Demercado, even if it's only to compete for the RB3 job, is the type of low-stakes situation Gibson should be seeking out. He'd have time to rebuild himself back to form and taking advantage of any opportunity he sees could put him back in the mix to get paid next offseason.
Gibson's time with the Patriots was brief, yet fun, and now it's time to see what he does next. The Chiefs, between their RB3 need and having Bieniemy on the staff, give the unsigned free agent the ideal bounce-back opportunity, and he could be even more motivated to step up knowing the Pats would be on the 2026 schedule.
That makes Gibson's continued free agency worth monitoring, making it interesting to see if the Chiefs will call the former Patriot's name sooner rather than later.