Meet the Newest New England Patriot: Antonio Gibson

Antonio Gibson is joining the New England Patriots. The former Washington Commanders’ running back begins the first unrestricted free agent to sign with the Patriots since the free agency negotiating period opened at noon on Monday. NFL Network’s Ian Rapaport was the first to report the signing. The contract details are not known at this time.

Source: The #Patriots are signing former #Commanders RB Antonio Gibson.

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 11, 2024

Gibson spent his first four years with Washington. The Commanders selected him in the third round (No. 66 overall) in the 2020 NFL Draft. He is a dual-threat running back, who has rushed for over 1,000 yards (1,037 in 2021) and caught 136 passes over the past three seasons. He has 3,926 yards from scrimmage in his NFL career.

Last season was the least productive for Gibson as a rusher. He rushed for 265 yards and a touchdown on just 65 carries. But he did contribute in the passing game, hauling in 48 passes for 389 yards and two touchdowns. He served as Washington’s primary kickoff returner the past two seasons, averaging 23.6 yards on 35 returns.

Sam Howell ➡️ Antonio Gibson!

📺: #BALvsWAS on ESPN
📱: Stream on #NFLPlus https://t.co/L9mPiySUki pic.twitter.com/5sdrq3xSnS

— NFL (@NFL) August 22, 2023

When Washington played New England in Week 8 last season, Gibson was impressive. He rushed for 34 yards on six attempts and caught five passes for 42 yards as well. Gibson returned

Over the past three seasons, Gibson ranks seventh among all NFL running backs in receiving yards. The only players with more are Austin Ekeler, Christian McCaffrey, Alvin Kamara, Joe Mixon, D’Andre Swift, and Josh Jacobs.

Gibson was one of several running backs switching teams on Monday. Saquan Barkley is now an Eagle, leaving the Giants behind. Josh Jacobs left Las Vegas to go to Green Bay. Tony Pollard departed Dallas to join Tennessee. D’Andre Swift moved from Philadelphia to Chicago.

With the addition of Antonio Gibson, the New England Patriots running back room now consists of five players. Rhamondre Stevenson, JaMycal Hasty, Kevin Harris, and Ke’Shaun Vaughn are the other backs under contract for 2024. Ezekiel Elliott, who was productive for the Patriots in 2023, remains an unrestricted free agent.

Update: Per ESPN’s Mike Reiss, the New England Patriots and Antonio Gibson have agreed on a three-year contract with a base salary of $11.25 million and a maximum value of $17.75 million.