Bill Belichick Doesn't Know Anything About Those Stephon Gilmore Trade Rumors
BOSTON (CBS) -- With the NFL trade deadline less than a week away, it's still TBD if the Patriots will be buyers or sellers this time around. At 2-4, they could certainly use a lot of help, but master builder Bill Belichick could also use it as an opportunity to better the Patriots for the future.
That has created some rumbling that the Pats could be looking to deal reigning Defensive Player of the Year Stephon Gilmore, who has one year left on his contract.
As he did Tuesday, Belichick didn't surrender any sort of news on the trade front.
"Yeah, I don't know anything about those," he said when asked about the Gilmore trade rumors on his Wednesday morning video conference.
Gilmore is signed through next season, and can make up to $17.5 million this year after the team gave him a raise ahead of the season. His cap number is almost $24 million this season, but drops to just a tick above $16 million next season.
Gilmore has struggled a bit this season, but if the Patriots don't think they can't re-sign the 30-year-old -- or they believe the team's younger corners are ready to step up -- perhaps Nick Caserio and Belichick will look to cash in on an asset a little early rather than too late. Corner is one of the few positions on the roster where the Patriots have a good amount of depth, which would make trading one of the game's best corners a little easier to stomach.
Asked about Gilmore's struggles, and opposing teams targeting the All Pro, Belichick didn't have much to say on Wednesday. And though Gilmore hasn't been playing to his usual standards, Belichick still sounds pleased with his output.
"Steph works hard and is always ready to go," said Belichick. "We've changed up what he's done. He's a very flexible player that understands what we're trying to do and how it all fits together and works hard to do his job at at it."
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