In 2018, the Patriots had two definite and one more fringe Hall of Fame players in Tom Brady, Rob Gronkowski and Stephon Gilmore.
Fast forward three years, the Patriots don’t have any of them and all they got in return was a third-round compensatory pick, a fourth-round pick and a sixth-round pick.
Woof.
And not only did the Patriots not much in return for these three players, they really did not have a plan when it comes to replacing them.
The Brady situation has been discussed at length, same with Gronkowski, but Gilmore being traded to Carolina for a 2023 sixth-rounder adds his name to the list of players the Patriots have mismanaged in recent years.
First off, the Patriots had several opportunities to trade Gilmore over the last year. They could have traded him at the trade deadline last season, but reports were they were seeking a first-round pick, and obviously they did not get it.
Gilmore then injured his quad towards the end of the season and was placed on injured reserve. While his value certainly wasn't what it was a few months earlier given the injury and going into the final year of his contract, there still was a chance to trade him this past offseason.
But the draft came and went with Gilmore still a member of the Patriots. Reports were they had offers, but again didn’t pull the trigger. That led to him skipping all the offseason workouts and stretched into training camp with the team placing him on PUP.
By then his trade value was basically lost and when it was determined he had no future in New England, the team had to basically take whatever offer it got, which turned out to be a future sixth-round pick from Carolina.
Just like Brady and Gronkowski, the Patriots did not come close to maximizing the asset. And it looks even worse that Gilmore reportedly will play for the Panthers with his current salary for the remainder of the year.
And then as far as replacing him, the Patriots are putting all their eggs in the JC Jackson basket, and he’s a free agent after the season. What if the Patriots cannot re-sign him? The Patriots would then go from having two potential No. 1 cornerbacks to none in a few months span.
Jalen Mills has had a solid first month of the season, but can the Patriots really count on him playing at this level for an entire season?
If the Patriots knew Gilmore was not part of their long-term plans, why didn’t they trade him last year at the deadline when his value was the greatest? It was evident at that point they had little chance of making the playoffs, so it wasn’t like they were holding onto him for that.
And then even this offseason the organization had to know what Gilmore’s demands were and it wasn’t going to be able to make them, so why not trade him around the draft for a mid-round pick? It would be a tough pill to swallow, but that would have been better than the current situation.
Three potential Hall of Fame players gone for three mid to late-round picks — what are we doing?
