Patriots Announce Decision On Cornerback Stephon Gilmore

The New England Patriots have made a decision on veteran cornerback Stephon Gilmore. The veteran suffered a partially torn quad in the Patriots’ game against the Miami Dolphins.

New England placed Gilmore on injured reserve Wednesday. That’s three days after he suffered the injury. Initial reports suggested that Gilmore’s injury was pretty serious. Luckily, he will recover right on time for the team’s offseason activities.

Ian Rapoport from NFL Network reported that Gilmore’s injury will heal in time for some of the Patriots’ offseason program. Moreover, he will be back to 100% in 2021.

Patriots to make a big decision on Stephon Gilmore

Gilmore is under contract for one more season. He will have to make a big decision in the upcoming offseason. The veteran’s only on the Patriots’ books for $7.5 million. That’s well below market value for elite cornerbacks. Gilmore was named to his third straight Pro Bowl and his value has reached different heights. The cornerback would be looking for a raise. We all know that head coach Bill Belichick doesn’t want to spend too much money for a 31-year-old cornerback.

Gilmore was part of too many trade rumors this season. Albert Breer from Sports Illustrated reported that the Patriots shopped the veteran twice last offseason and at the trade deadline. ESPN’s Dianna Russini reported that the team wanted a first-round pick and a player for Gilmore.

“They absolutely did have conversations with other teams about dealing Stephon Gilmore,” Breer said on NBC Sports Boston in October. “If you’re not going to compete for a championship, which I think is always going to be the bar here as long as Bill Belichick is here, see what you can get for someone like Stephon Gilmore. Because I think chances are he’s not going to be on the team in 2021. They had to move some money 2021 to ’20 to make him happy this year. He’ll want another raise next year, so I think when they did make that move to move the money up, it was an acknowledgment that he might not be around next year.”

Head coach Belichick would love to have Gilmore around, but he may not be willing to pay too much money to keep him on the Patriots roster. Gilmore is a talented player, but the Patriots may be looking at many other options.