Patriots' Top Trade Candidate Has Never Been More Obvious

The New England Patriots have done almost everything in their power to overhaul their offense this offseason, adding some significant veteran pieces in free agency while also dedicating a good portion of the NFL Draft to repairing the unit.

Not only that, but the Patriots have added some pretty intriguing undrafted free agents, particularly in the form of wide receiver Efton Chism III and running back Lan Larison.

In terms of the latter, Larison is already earning reps with the first-team unit in offseason workouts and seems to be making a push toward potentially making the 53-man roster next season.

With New England also selecting TreVeyon Henderson in the draft and having Rhamondre Stevenson still on board, that can only mean one thing: Antonio Gibson is an obvious trade candidate.

The Pats signed Gibson to serve as a change-of-pace back behind Stevenson last year, hoping that he would provide some pass-catching skills out of the backfield and serve as a reliable No. 2. That didn't really happen, as Gibson logged just 23 catches for 206 yards. Those were both career lows.

Yes, Gibson did rush for 538 yards and a touchdown while averaging 4.5 yards per carry, but the Patriots brought him in for much more than that.

Now that New England landed Henderson, a versatile, do-it-all halfback who will definitely be serving as a receiver as well as a rusher in 2025, Gibson's days in Foxborough may be numbered. That's especially considering Larison is also on the come up.

Gibson has two years remaining on his contract and carries small cap hits of $4.5 million each of the next couple of seasons, so he is definitely a movable piece. Plus, he is still just 26 years old (he turns 27 next month) and has some solid seasons under his belt.

There are definitely some contending teams that could use a running back like Gibson, so the Pats should absolutely be able to find a trading partner rather easily.

If Larison really does impress in training camp and preseason, it would actually be somewhat surprising to see Gibson still on the roster heading into September.