Retooling the New England Patriots offense was the primary goal of the 2025 offseason and the roster entering training camp shows they succeeded. Additions such as Will Campbell, Stefon Diggs, Garrett Bradbury, Kyle Williams and even TreVeyon Henderson should allow second-year quarterback Drake Maye to truly take off in his sophomore effort. Take-off, however, might happen without veteran running back Antonio Gibson on the roster.
Gibson, after beginning his career with four seasons in Washington, signed a three-year, $11.25 million deal with the Patriots last offseason. Splitting time in a committee but playing in all 17 games, the veteran out of Memphis notched 120 carries for 538 yards and one touchdown while also catching 23-of-29 targets for 206 yards. But again, New England has shaken a whole lot up around him heading into the 2025 season.
Not only does Rhamondre Stevenson appear to be the incumbent No. 1 option, but the Patriots selected Henderson out of Ohio State with their second-round pick back in April. The former Buckeye is a more explosive iteration of Gibson with more perceived versatility. However, Henderson alone doesn't write an ill-fated end for the veteran — but the emergence of Lan Larison might.
Antonio Gibson might already be on outside looking in of Patriots roster
The Patriots signed Larison as an undrafted free agent following the draft and the UC Davis product was one of the most intriguing still-available options at the time. He lived up to that billing in rookie minicamp and OTAs as well, earning a boatload of praise from Mike Vrabel and the staff and seemingly pushing his way to make the team's 53-man roster, or at least putting that notion into consideration.
Larison has the potential to simply offer everything that could be asked for as a depth running back piece, and at a younger age and cheaper price tag than what comes with Gibson. That's not a certainty by any means, but it is certainly a consideration that the Patriots will make throughout training camp, especially if the undrafted rookie continues to shine.
Gibson is, however, on the books for $4.5 million this season. New England could save $2.325 million by cutting him, however, recouping a little more than half of the money owed to him by getting out from the contract. However, if the Patriots feel confident in Larison being the RB3 behind Stevenson and Henderson, they might be better off looking for a trade partner to send Gibson to for a late-round pick or even a pick swap.
Not only would the Patriots save $3.5 million on their salary cap by trading Gibson and take on less dead money than they would by cutting him, but it would also simply be a better course to maximize the assets they have. While New England's retooling certainly could mean that Gibson no longer has the same role to play in their offense, there are plenty of running back poor teams around the league that could use the versatile veteran in their backfield rotation. It shouldn't be difficult to find a deal to be made there.
What does seem clear, though, is that Gibson is no longer sitting in a favorable position with the Patriots. At best, he's only going to come off the bench sparingly or in case of injury. At worst, Larison usurps him for that spot and he doesn't have a real role at all. In either case, though, his time in Foxborough might be coming to an end before training camp subsides. It's simply good business for the Pats to make sure that's the case.