What Releasing Antonio Gibson Means For Patriots

INDIANAPOLIS --- The New England Patriots made their first significant roster move of the offseason, unloading running back Antonio Gibson after two productive seasons with the team. The veteran had suffered a nasty ACL tear in the Patriots' Week 5 win over the Buffalo Bills on a kick return and was on IR ever since.

Now with Gibson out of the picture, how does the team's running back room look?

The top pairing of Rhamondre Stevenson and TreVeyon Henderson both remain, and that duo isn't likely go anywhere for the foreseeable future. Right behind them, though, is where it can be a bit murky.

The Patriots announced they've released RB Antonio Gibson.

He tore his ACL in Week 5 last year, but looked good prior to that.

The Patriots now have Rhamondre Stevenson, TreVeyon Henderson, Terrell Jennings, Lan Larison and Elijah Mitchell under contract for 2026.
— Ethan Hurwitz (@HurwitzSports) February 23, 2026

Terrell Jennings and Lan Larison, two players who are very young to the NFL level, dealt with injuries that held them off the field for prolonged periods of time (Larison was on season-ending IR since the summer, Jennings missed the end of the year with a hamstring issue and a lingering concussion). Elijah Mitchell will also be back for 2026, inking his name on the dotted line for a futures contract earlier in the offseason.

Gibson was a solid backup runner behind Stevenson during his two seasons with the Patriots. In 22 games, he ran the ball 145 times for 644 yards and found the end zone three times -- one of those was a game-winning kick return against the Miami Dolphins in Week 2 of this past year.

It was a 90-yard return -- made iconic by head coach Mike Vrabel's sideline sprint right beside him -- that helped earn the first win of Vrabel's coaching tenure in New England. He was easily the team's top kick returner when he was healthy, and after he went down, it turned into a weekly shuffle to see who would be back there each week.

Sep 28, 2025; Foxborough, Massachusetts, USA; New England Patriots running back Antonio Gibson (4) reacts after scoring a touchdown against the Carolina Panthers during the first half at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brian Fluharty-Imagn Images | Brian Fluharty-Imagn Images

The move saves roughly $3.1 million off the team's 2026 cap, including $1 million in dead money.

So who will step up to take over as the Patriots' third running back? All eyes will likely turn to the rookies set to participate in the NFL Combine this week in Indianapolis. If the team wasn't expecting Gibson to live up to his contract (or if his rehab wasn't on track for a full recovery), going the rookie route was always the likely course of action.

Who To Watch For At The NFL Combine:

Some names, like Indiana's Roman Hemby, UTSA's Robert Henry Jr. and Alabama's Jam Miller, are all potential adds for New England to scout this week for next year. All of them have a similar skillset to Gibson, adding some quick feet to their respective offenses in college. While Stevenson was more of the ground-and-pound running for the Patriots, Gibson was able to add a little bit of finesse.

The 27-year-old won't be difficult to replace in the running game (the Patriots did perfectly fine without him in 2025), but trying to fully find a way to find his contributions on special teams elsewhere will be a big priority for the team heading into free agency and the draft.

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