Report: Stephon Gilmore Would Be 'Very Open' To Extension With Patriots
BOSTON (CBS) -- Remember when it was a foregone conclusion that Stephon Gilmore would be traded by the Patriots this offseason? The winds are blowing a different way out of Foxboro these days.
The trade rumors surrounding Gilmore, the 2019 Defensive Player of the Year, have now evolved into extension rumors. According to SI's Albert Breer, the Patriots may no longer look to deal Gilmore and could instead ink the star cornerback to an extension. Gilmore would be "very open" to signing a new deal with the Patriots, according to Breer:
Bottom line: If the Patriots think Gilmore has, say, three more good years left in him (and they know better than anyone else how the 30-year-old has taken care of his body) and they don't want to pay promising young corner J.C. Jackson like a premier DB, you can certainly see where it'd make sense. I'm also told, for what it's worth, that Gilmore would be very open to signing a new deal in New England.
Gilmore is entering the final year of a five-year, $65 million contract that he signed with New England in 2017. He's set to make just $7 million this season after reworking his deal last year, a figure that Gilmore is "unlikely" to play under in 2021. So an extension makes sense for both sides.
The Patriots had Gilmore on the trade block last season but nothing came of it at the deadline. Rumors were swirling this offseason about a potential Gilmore trade, but a quad injury that he suffered late in the season likely diminished his trade value.
This is what is known as the "lying season" in the NFL, so who knows what is actually on the table. But from the sounds of it, Gilmore could be locking down receivers for the Patriots for a few more seasons.