Stephon Gilmore spent his offseason watching the Patriots dole out a record-setting amount of money to NFL free agents. The notoriously frugal Bill Belichick was handing out millions to players whom he’s never coached, and even some with mixed track records. Nelson Agholor received $16 million guaranteed at signing, despite catching 39 and 48 passes in each of the last two seasons.
It would only be natural to feel a little jilted.
Back in 2017, Gilmore signed a five-year, $65 million deal that included $40 million fully guaranteed. At the time, his annual average of $13 million was close to the top of the market. But that was five years ago. Now, Gilmore is entering the final year of his deal, with a Defensive Player of the Year award under his belt.
And he’s no longer one of the highest-paid players at his position.
The cornerback market has exploded since Gilmore signed his deal. Jalen Ramsey averages $20 million per season, and Marlon Humphrey is right behind him with $19.5 million. Gilmore is currently the 12-highest-paid corner in the NFL, tied for 12th with Adoree’ Jackson of the New York Giants.
Gilmore shouldn’t be shocked by this, of course. He wisely signed a front-loaded contract to minimize the chance he could lose out on sizable earnings at the end of it. That’s life in the NFL: You never know when you may get cut. Even a two-time All-Pro and four-time Pro Bowler can lose it quickly.
Look no further than Darrelle Revis. After shining in the Patriots’ 2014 Super Bowl run, he returned to the Jets on a new pricey multi-year deal, and was out of the league just three seasons later.
With the average NFL career only lasting 2.5 years, every player has an impetus to collect as much money as they can. Gilmore, an 11-year veteran, has already far outlived the average NFL lifespan.
So why not milk the game for all its worth? Notably, many of Gilmore’s teammates publicly supported his holdout during minicamp.
The real test of Gilmore’s intentions will come in training camp, when he can begin getting docked $50,000 per day for missing sessions. It’s one thing to send a passive aggressive tweet in late June.
It’s another to be writing five-figure checks daily to Robert Kraft.
Given Gilmore’s age (he’ll turn 31 in September), it’s understandable if the Patriots don’t want to give him a high-priced contract extension. Cornerbacks’ speed and coverage abilities typically doesn’t improve as they age. The Patriots would almost certainly be paying for past performance.
But Belichick’s nearly $160 million free agency spending spree has put him in a corner. Is he really going to load up his roster, and then risk alienating his best defensive player?
If the Patriots are going for it, Gilmore has to be on the team. And he knows. Gilmore isn't worried about the Patriots trading him, because he knows they acquired players with him in mind, reports ESPN's Jeremy Fowler.
There are other potential solutions besides a contract extension. The Patriots could always add incentives to Gilmore’s deal, just like they did with Tom Brady in 2019.
For Gilmore’s sake, here’s hoping those incentives are actually reachable.
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.
