Stephon Gilmore and Patriots Contract Talk May Have a New Sense of Urgency

Stephon Gilmore has been part of the New England Patriots for a really long time but he has yet to sign a new contract with the team. The veteran cornerback has every reason to reach an agreement with the team, and we believe he is looking forward to a big raise for the 2021 season.

Jeremy Fowler from ESPN provided a positive update on Gilmore’s situation with the Patriots. He made a few great comments on a recent SportsCenter entry.

“The Patriots and Gilmore know they can intensify contract talks sometime in the next few weeks. And I’m told that Gilmore has largely not expected to be traded throughout this process because he knows the Patriots have made moves with Gilmore in mind. They haven’t gotten a cornerback to replace him. And as one source told me, ‘Do the Patriots really want to go into Week 4 against Tom Brady without their top cornerback?’ And so things are slow right now, but I expect those sides to ramp up negotiations sometime before training camp.”

Everything points to the fact that Gilmore will get his money one way or another.

Stephon Gilmore and the Patriots to reach an agreement on his contract

WEEI’s Alex Reimer doesn’t blame the veteran cornerback for playing football. He said that Gilmore doesn’t owe the Patriots a special favor.

“History shows the most effective way for players to get money from Belichick is to hold out. Logan Mankins held out until midway through the 2010 season, and the following summer, became the highest-paid interior lineman in the game. Another apparent method to get into Belichick’s purse is to play for another team and hit free agency following the worst Patriots season in 20 years — which coincided with Brady winning his seventh Super Bowl elsewhere. Gilmore doesn’t owe the Patriots any favors. He has every onus to play hardball.”

Gilmore is approaching the end of his prime period and the same applies to his earning window.

The Patriots will probably reach an agreement with their star cornerback. Giving Gilmore a contract that would push him to the Top-5-7 paid NFL cornerbacks seems like a good option.

Bobby Thompson said the announcement of a contract extension is a matter of when it will get done. Head coach Bill Belichick will make the best decision for the team and we can make a few guesses.