NFL Trade Rumors
Stephon Gilmore has been one of the best cornerbacks in the NFL for a long time. After five quality years to start his career in Buffalo, Gilmore broke out with the Patriots. He spent four years in New England, winning the Defensive Player of the Year award in 2019 and racking up 11 interceptions during that span.
Since 2021, he’s bounced around the league a bit, spending a year each with the Panthers, Colts, Cowboys and most recently the Vikings. In the last three seasons, Gilmore totaled 190 tackles, five interceptions and 33 passes defensed. PFF had him ranked as the 68th-best corner in the league last year with a 59.2 coverage grade.
Gilmore’s days of being a stud top corner are behind him, but he’s put together some nice seasons as a veteran mercenary in the twilight of his career. For a team that needs a quality option to supplement their secondary, Gilmore would be a good fit if he’s still interesting in playing another season.
Gilmore, 34, was taken with the No. 10 overall pick by the Bills back in 2012. He played out his rookie contract, but the Bills elected to pick up his fifth-year option for the 2016 season.
Gilmore would later depart for a five-year, $65 million contract that includes $31 million guaranteed with the Patriots. He stood to make a base salary of $7 million in 2021 when he was traded to the Panthers for a future sixth.
From there, Gilmore signed a two-year, $23 million contract with the Colts in 2022. Indianapolis traded him to the Cowboys last March. This past offseason, Gilmore signed a one-year, $7 million deal with the Vikings
In 2024, Gilmore appeared in 15 games for the Vikings and recorded 56 tackles, an interception and nine pass defenses.
We have him included in our Top 100 Available NFL Free Agents list.
Under HC Jim Harbaugh, the Chargers have been trying to get younger on defense. They’ve allowed some of their older veterans to walk while bringing in rookie talent to replace them over the last two offseasons. The defensive line and linebacker corps have undergone this transition, but cornerback is lagging behind.
Tarheeb Still was a great mid-round find last year, and he’ll lock down the slot cornerback spot. On the outside though, it’s a little messy. Donte Jackson is a presumed starter, with Benjamin St-Juste and Cam Hart likely competing for the other spot. None of those players ranked inside the top 80 in PFF grade last year, with Jackson and St-Juste falling outside the top 100. Outside corner is not a strength of this Los Angeles team.
Though Gilmore isn’t a true No. 1 corner anymore, he’d undoubtedly start for the Chargers. It’s probably too late in the offseason to get a top option at the position, but Gilmore provides value. He wouldn’t be expensive and would stabilize the floor at corner for the Chargers. After earning a wildcard berth last season, the...
