The [New England Patriots](https://nesn.com/new-england-patriots) made the tough decision Monday to move on from fan-favorite running back Antonio Gibson.
The 27-year-old running back had his second season with New England end in Week 5 after an ACL tear.
On route to a Super Bowl appearance, the backfield duo of veteran Rhamondre Stevenson and rookie TreVeyon Henderson proved that New England did not need a third mouth to feed in their running back rotation.
But this isn’t the only reason the team elected to cut ties; there are also some major financial implications.
Gibson was going to enter the third and final season of a three-year, $11.25 million deal signed in 2024.
He carried a cap hit of more than $4 million in 2026. By releasing him in February, the Patriots free up $3.1 million of cap space. However, they are still required to pay out his $1 million signing bonus, which will go against the dead cap space.
Here is the lone caveat: if Gibson does not find another team to play for in 2026, New England could be on the hook for most of his base salary. This follows Article 45 of the Collective Bargaining Agreement that seeks to protect players from losing their contracts due to injury.
But for now, the move frees up a substantial $3 million, bringing New England’s projected cap space in 2026 to $44.3 million.
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