Antonio Gibson, the Patriots' first free agent sigining a week ago, met virtually with the media on Monday. (AP photo)

Antonio Gibson knew he was in the right place at Gillette Stadium when Jerod Mayo met his young daughter.

“He showed my daughter a helluva time, brought her into the office and treated her with love,” Gibson, the former Commanders running back who signed with the New England Patriots as a free agent said on Monday. “I appreciated that, for sure, especially for the first time meeting him.”

Gibson said that Mayo projected “Definitey a different vibe from a head coach, just from the one day I met him.”

He certainly got a different impression from Mayo than he may have had he been dealing with former Patriots head coach Bill Belichick, and it remains to be seen whether that’s a good or bad thing. Mayo, he said, made Gibson feel like he was talking to another player.

“I feel like that’s something that might be a positive thing in the locker room for him to be able to relate and communicate like that,and kind of understanding both sides of it,” he said.

Gibson says he wants to be a big part of the Patriots offense, and feels that he can do a lot. In fact, do it all.

“I’m just a guy that’s able to make plays,” he said. “I can run the ball, I can catch the ball. You can line me up outside. Bleep, I can block, too. Whatever you need, I can get it done. … I’m not here just to take the backseat.”

That being said, Gibson feels he will have a good bond with fellow running back Rhamondre Stevenson, as both played ball in junior college.

“It’s just a respect thing, from that JUCO level, taking a harder route,” Gibson said. “Not that we wanted to be there, we didn’t have to be there, but certain situations caused us to be there. But it’s not an easy route, so anybody that goes through it kind of understands.”

PATRIOTS ADD RECEIVER

The Patriots did make a free agent signing, inking former Viking K.J. Osborn to a one-year deal on Sunday.

Osborn has 158 career catches for 1,845 yards and 15 TDs, three of them coming last season.

The former Minnesota fifth round pick (2020) will give New England a little bit more depth, but it certainly looks like they’ll need to pick up a receiver or two in the draft, which is receiver heavy this year.

ROOKIE CAMP, MINICAMP, BRADY NIGHT SET

The Patriots rookie camp – they haven’t had one, at least with media access, in a while – will be Friday-Saturday, May 10-11. Mandatory mini camp is June 11-13, and on Wednesday, June 12, will be the Patriots Hall of Fame ceremony for Tom Brady inside Gillette Stadium at 7 p.m., and will be a ticketed event.

There are also 10 OTA sessions from Monday, May 20 through Friday, June 7.

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