One of the next orders of business for the Patriots this offseason is figuring out what to do with Stephon Gilmore and his contract.
New England bumped his pay prior to the start of last year, but the money came from this year, so currently he is only scheduled to make $7 million in the last year of his contract.
Speaking to reporters via conference call Wednesday, owner Robert Kraft was asked if he has any optimism that the two sides can agree on a deal to keep him around for the future?
"Look, we’re lucky to have Stephon Gilmore," he said. "He’s a tremendous player for us, a great person. I personally had the opportunity to go to the Holy Land with he and his bride and he’s just so gifted and he’s under contract with us. We’ll see what happens."
It's hard read too much into the comments as Kraft isn't the one negotiating with Gilmore and his representation, but it wasn't exactly a glowing endorsement for a new contract to potentially happen in the near future.
By all accounts, Gilmore has no plans to play for his current salary.
Another option could be trading the 30-year-old, but that could be a little difficult with the cornerback coming off quad surgery.