Report: Stephon Gilmore Restructures Contract To Help Patriots

Stephon Gilmore was brilliant with the New England Patriots, and his contract is now restructured.

According to ESPN’s Field Yates, the Patriots converted $8.5 million of his contract into a signing bonus which gives them a $5.67 million in cap space to use in the offseason. He wrote, “Source: the Patriots converted $8.5M of CB Stephon Gilmore’s contract into a signing bonus, creating $5.67M in cap space for 2019. Some flexibility for the champs.”

This is actually great for both Stephon and the Patriots. He will get the $8.5 million up front with the signing bonus, and the Patriots can boost their roster and sign a few free agents. They are also checking up on trades. The NFL Draft will take place withing a month.

The Patriots can now work on the extensions of Tom Brady, Rob Gronkowski and Julian Edelman. The team and Stephen Gostkowski are also close to sealing the deal, so Gilmore’s move was actually a favor for the team.

Patriots quarterback Tom Brady likes how Gilmore handles the ball, and had words of praise for the corner.

“Yeah, he’s had a great year and he’s been just so solid,” Brady said. “It’s tough to complete the ball on him. We feel that way in practice. I’ve played with a lot of good corners and he’s right up there with the best of them. He knocks the ball away, intercepts the ball, makes the quarterback pay. He’s physical, good in the run game, good in zone, good in short, intermediate, deep. I mean, he’s all-around just been a great player for us.

When it comes to head coach Bill Belichick, he praised Gilmore and his great season with the team.

“Yeah, Steph’s had a good year,” the head coach said of Gilmore. “I thought he had a good year for us last year. I mean, all players improve as they’ve been in the system longer. He was a good player when he got here. He’s had a good year for us.”