The New England Patriots and running back Rhamondre Stevenson have agreed to a four-year, $36 million extension that includes $17 million guaranteed, league sources said Thursday. The contract also includes $3 million per year in upside incentives based on reaching more than 1,400 scrimmage yards plus All-Pro and Pro Bowl appearances that could bring the deal up to $48 million, per a league source.
Last week, Stevenson told reporters at the Patriots’ minicamp he felt an extension was “pretty close.”
“Right now I’m just trying to get the deal done and get it locked in with the extension,” Stevenson said. “So we can see how that goes.”
Stevenson had a breakout season in 2022 when he totaled 1,461 yards of offense despite opening the year as Damien Harris’ backup. He totaled 619 yards rushing in 2023 but that was on a Patriots offense that struggled much of the season.
“I think he’s one of the better backs in the league, no doubt about it,” Patriots coach Jerod Mayo said. “I think over the last few years, it’s been kind of tough on him, as far as getting started. So I’m excited to see what he does this season. And look, he’s earned everything that he gets.”
Stevenson becomes the latest Patriot to land an extension this offseason as the franchise inked new deals with Joshua Uche, Hunter Henry, Mike Onwenu, Kyle Dugger, Christian Barmore and Anfernee Jennings, a clear shift in thinking with a new front office that wants to reward successful players — many of them drafted by the team — with extensions.
After Alex Van Pelt was hired as Patriots offensive coordinator this offseason, Stevenson said he started pulling up highlights of Nick Chubb on YouTube, studying how the running back mastered Van Pelt’s scheme. Now, the Patriots think Stevenson is on deck for similar success.
Injuries last season limited Stevenson to just 12 games, but the Pats’ new brass — led by Mayo and Eliot Wolf — think he’s a perfect fit for this zone-rushing scheme that they’re implementing, in part because they think Stevenson is really good at making a cut, changing direction, then quickly getting up field. This contract is a show of faith that the new scheme will fit Stevenson well.
Amid a debate about the value of paying for veteran running backs, the Patriots thought this was the right move for a few reasons. The first is they know this isn’t a Super Bowl year for them. Instead, they feel they need to set the right culture as they begin this post-Bill Belichick rebuild. So they’re prioritizing re-signing their own players, hopeful that will show younger players that if they buy into the coaching and culture, they’ll also have a big payday coming.
The second is that with $17 million guaranteed, the Pats could easily move on in two years if their Super Bowl window suddenly opens and they need the cap space elsewhere. But for now, with a rookie quarterback and few high-priced players, the Patriots had cap space to use and felt retaining Stevenson does more good for the culture and on-field product than bad for the risk of paying running backs.
