It has been a few months since the Patriots released running back Antonio Gibson, and although their current roster doesn't lack depth at the position, there are still plenty of reasons to argue they should re-sign the veteran for the upcoming season.
Besides being a productive asset to the offense in his two years in New England, he was on pace to make a big impact last year before suffering a season-ending injury. He was particularly impactful on special teams as a returner, and looking at the Patriots' options in 2026, it would be better to have a designated player for that role.
That's where bringing back Gibson makes a lot of sense, not to mention the boost he could provide to the running back room, as well.
We already know that Rhamondre Stevenson is expected to remain the RB1, with TreVeyon Henderson right behind him. Beyond that, the rest of the roster will compete for a spot, with second-year Lan Larison and rookie Jam Miller at the top of the list.
Regardless, special teams have become more of a problem for the Patriots in recent years, mostly in finding a solid returner. We know Gibson can be that, so they have good reason to consider a reunion.
A hole in the Patriots roster could be immediately solved by re-signing a familiar veteran
The Patriots' Super Bowl window remains open going into the 2026 season, and while their schedule is already projected to be much tougher than last year, they are clearly built to compete for championships. But they are still weak in some areas, such as a lack of a legitimate returner on special teams.
Gibson might not be at a point in his career where he is actively looking to completely give up being a running back and sticking to the third unit, and he wouldn't necessarily have to even if he went back to the Patriots.
However, there hasn't been much reported about teams wanting to sign him since the start of free agency, so if the Patriots made the call, he might be more inclined to do what he has to do to play this upcoming season.
Obviously, we won't know until Eliot Wolf makes the call, and it's difficult to say if he would even be interested in a reunion with Gibson. They clearly released him for a reason, even though it didn't look great to do so while he was rehabbing from an injury, but there is always time to reconsider a previous decision.
Given how important special teams is and a returner's job is to help put the offense in good field position, it's key to have a proven player in that role, and Gibson would certainly provide that.
At the very least, it's worth it for the Patriots to consider all the benefits of re-signing him, and at this point in the offseason, it shouldn't be that difficult to see why he would be a solid addition.
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