Running back Rhamondre Stevenson will be in Foxborough, Massachusetts, for the foreseeable future after agreeing to a four-year extension with the New England Patriots, according to multiple reports.
Stevenson will be signing a $36 million deal over those four years, which comes out to a $9 million annual average value, ESPN reported.
Stevenson said this month at the team’s mandatory minicamp that he believed a deal was “pretty close,” and the Patriots made that statement true as they lock in their franchise running back.
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Stevenson, a fourth-round pick by New England in the 2021 NFL Draft, isn’t the first Patriots player to be locked in long term this offseason. Safety Kyle Dugger reached an extension after previously being franchise tagged, and wide receiver Kendrick Bourne returned to the team.
This is the plan of Eliot Wolf, who was named executive vice president of player personnel, as Jerod Mayo takes over for Bill Belichick as head coach. Wolf wants to draft players and develop them to the point where they are awarded an extension.
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Stevenson, despite a down year in 2023 with 619 yards rushing and four touchdowns, with 238 receiving yards as well, has been viewed as a powerful running back that can get the job done, especially in short-yardage situations.
“I think he’s one of the better backs in the league, no doubt about it,” Mayo said, per ESPN. “I’m excited to see what he does this season, and look, he’s earned everything that he gets.”
Stevenson is already studying the new run schemes he’ll be under with Alex Van Pelt, the team’s first-year offensive coordinator. Van Pelt spent his last four years coaching ther Cleveland Browns, and Stevenson has already looked into what Nick Chubb has run there, including wide-zone runs that require timing and explosive movements when holes open up.
Stevenson, as well as free agent signing Antonio Gibson, will be tasked with being versatile in the pass game as well. But the bread and butter for the man who got awarded an extension is short yardage, goal-line power runs, which have been successful for a New England team that shouldn’t lose that identity even with Belichick gone.
Stevenson’s best season came in 2022, when he started just seven games but had 1,040 yards with five touchdowns on the ground while hauling in 69 receptions for 421 yards and a score.
For his career, Stevenson is averaging 4.5 yards per carry over 499 rush attempts.
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