At this point of the offseason, with the start of training camp just over a month away, there are very few free agents, let alone difference-making free agents, still available.
One of them is cornerback Stephon Gilmore, one of the more accomplished defensive backs in the NFL and, many would argue, a prime-time candidate for the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
After playing his first five pro seasons with the Buffalo Bills, he joined the New England Patriots, where he won a Super Bowl championship during the 2018 season.
He spent last season with the Dallas Cowboys, and although he put up solid numbers, it looks like they aren’t interested in keeping him.
While talking to Barstool Sports, he seemed to leave the door open to a reunion with New England, per Mike Kadlick.
Stephon Gilmore asked by @barstoolsports if he could return to the #Patriots:
“You never know.” pic.twitter.com/ZUAAE1F9kp
— Mike Kadlick (@mikekadlick) June 12, 2024
Gilmore is 33 years of age and may or may not have enough left in the tank for another good season, especially after he suffered a shoulder injury late last season.
He has been biding his time as he waits for the right opportunity to come along, while the Cowboys are looking to save money in order to give extensions to Dak Prescott, CeeDee Lamb, and Micah Parsons.
One may feel the Patriots won’t be the right opportunity for him at this point in his career.
A lot has changed for them since he left them following the 2020 season — they have cycled through multiple quarterbacks, let legendary coach Bill Belichick leave, and are still at ground zero as far as rebuilding four years after Tom Brady left.
They have a potential franchise QB in Drake Maye, the No. 3 pick in April’s draft, but they have little in the way of support on either side of the football.
It would seem the best opportunity for Gilmore would be a contending team that simply needs some help in the secondary in order to go all the way, but perhaps he will value money a little more than winning.
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