Why ‘Super Excited’ Antonio Gibson Felt Patriots Were Best Landing Spot

Antonio Gibson understands the rebuilding phase the Patriots are staring down, but the 25-year-old running back nevertheless believed New England presented him the best opportunity.

While speaking to reporters on a video conference call Monday, Gibson, who agreed to terms with the franchise on the first day of the legal tampering period, explained why he felt New England was the best fit.

"A bunch of young guys, a new coaching staff," said Gibson, who reportedly agreed to a three-year deal. "I got a chance to talk to a lot of the coaches and I'm super excited for what they've got planned and how they plan on moving things forward.

"Me and my agent talked it over, we had a lot of good talk. And we felt like this was the best place for me. They showed love, they reciprocated it, and I'm just ready to get things going."

Gibson reportedly will earn a base salary of $11.25 million with incentives giving him to opportunity to receive $17.25 million over the three years.

Gibson said he was ready for a fresh start after playing the last four seasons with the Washington Commanders, who drafted the Memphis product in the third round in 2020.

After producing in each of his first two campaigns -- Gibson scored 11 touchdowns as a rookie and surpassed 1,000 rushing yards in his second season -- he saw a diminished role the last two years. Gibson played 46% of offensive snaps in 2023 as he shared the workload with Brian Robinson.

Gibson now will serve alongside Patriots starting running back Rhamondre Stevenson, though the talented pass-catcher doesn't want to put himself in the role of merely a third-down back.

"I want to compete just the same as everybody else and I feel like that's only going to make the running back room better," Gibson said. "I'm not here to step on anybody's toes, but at the end of the day we have to compete. I'm not here just to take the back seat. I feel like we can do a lot of great things together, me in the running back room just adding on."

Among the coaches Gibson appreciated chatting with was Patriots first-year head coach Jerod Mayo. Mayo presented a "different vibe" than the coaches Gibson grew familiar working with, like former Washington head coach Ron Rivera, and the fifth-year player enjoyed how Mayo communicated like "one of the guys."