The Patriots have bigger fish to fry as they look to retain Darrelle Revis, but they’ve made a smaller move today, signing receiver Brandon Gibson to a one-year deal worth $825K, per Field Yates of ESPN (Twitter link). Gibson was released by the division rival Dolphins last month.
In New England, he’ll join Julian Edelman, Brandon LaFell, and Danny Amendola in catching passes from Tom Brady. As Gibson is primarily a slot receiver, however, his signing could be a sign that the Pats are considering releasing Amendola, a move that would create $4.5MM if he were designated as a post June-1 cut. That cap room could be valuable as the Patriots attempt to re-sign Revis.
A former Ram, Gibson joined the Dolphins prior to the 2013 season, and put up nearly identical numbers in his first two seasons with the club. Of course, in 2013, when he grabbed 30 balls for 326 yards and three touchdowns, he did so in just seven games. In 2014, he totaled 29 receptions for 295 yards and a TD in 14 contests.
Gibson earned more than $3.2MM in base salary last season, so he’ll take a significant pay cut to join the Super Bowl champs.