The Patriots added two more veteran players to their 90-man roster.
On Wednesday, the team signed running back Elijah Mitchell and tackle Sebastian Gutierrez to future contracts. These moves come a day after the Patriots signed 11 players to future contracts. All of those players finished the season on the Patriots’ practice squad.
Mitchell and Gutierrez didn’t end the season in New England, but both were recently on the practice squad in Foxborough as well.
Mitchell, 27, spent time on the Patriots practice squad from Dec. 23 to Jan. 14. A sixth-round pick by San Francisco in 2021, Mitchell played in 28 games for the 49ers, making 12 starts. He ran for 1,523 yards with nine touchdowns. His best season came as a rookie, when he ran for a career-high 963 yards with five scores.
After that, Mitchell dealt with knee injuries that limited him to five games in 2022. In 2023, he played in 11 games, running for 281 yards. He missed the 2024 campaign due to a hamstring injury.
The running back spent most of last season with Kansas City, playing one game, before getting released on Dec. 20 and joining the Patriots three days later.
Mitchell joins running backs Rhamondre Stevenson, TreVeyon Henderson, Antonio Gibson, Terrell Jennings, and Lan Larison on the 90-man roster.
Gutierrez had two different stints on the Patriots’ practice squad last season. The 27-year-old also spent time on the team’s practice squad in 2022. He made his NFL debut in 2022, playing in one game for the Las Vegas Raiders. In 2024, he played three snaps at right tackle for the 49ers.
Gutierrez joins tackles Will Campbell, Morgan Moses, Marcus Bryant, and Lorenz Metz on the Patriots’ 90-man roster.