The subject of trade rumors at multiple junctures over the past year, Stephon Gilmore remains tied to the Patriots contract he signed in 2017. A resolution will need to take place fairly soon, with training camp beginning in less than a month and the former Defensive Player of the Year set to earn just $7MM in base salary.

Nothing has emerged indicating Gilmore and the Pats have made progress on another deal. While stalemates often lead to exits, this situation is not expected to produce a trade. During this months-long issue, the All-Pro cornerback has not expected to be dealt, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com noted during a SportsCenter appearance (h/t Bleacher Report). The most recent Gilmore trade rumors surfaced in March, but the Patriots’ moves since point to them planning for their No. 1 corner to be around in 2021.

[RELATED: No Acrimony Between Patriots, Stephon Gilmore]

New England deviated from its usual free agency pattern by acquiring several high-priced veterans. Adding the likes of Jonnu Smith, Hunter Henry, Matt Judon, Kyle Van Noy and Trent Brown (via trade) illustrates the Pats’ plans for the 2021 season fairly well, and Gilmore has taken notice the team did not make a major cornerback addition, per Fowler. The Pats did sign Jalen Mills and have moved him back to corner from the safety role he played in 2020. But Gilmore should still be expected to head up New England’s coverage corps. New England did not draft a corner.

Although Gilmore did not reach his dominant 2019 level in 2020 — an 11-game season for the nine-year veteran — and will be 31 this season, he represents a key piece for the Pats’ playoff chances. The contract issue is not going away, however. Gilmore skipped minicamp and recently made reference to the cornerback salary landscape — in a since-deleted tweet, via ESPN.com’s Mike Reiss.

Gilmore’s average annual value is no longer especially relevant, since he is in Year 5 of a five-year contract, but the new cornerback market certainly will pertain to his next deal. And the four-time Pro Bowler has certainly noticed several less accomplished players pass him in recent years. Gilmore’s $13MM AAV ranks tied for 13th among corners. His camp having pointed to Darius Slay‘s three-year, $50MM deal as a comparable contract suggests he is willing to be flexible with the Pats, with Slay’s $16.7MM AAV off the Jalen Ramsey–Marlon Humphrey top tier.

As Jason McCourty‘s recent run shows, the Pats are willing to deploy thirtysomething corners. It remains to be seen if they will pay big money for Gilmore’s early-30s seasons, however.

The Patriots and CB Stephon Gilmore have not made much progress in extension talks, but Mike Reiss of ESPN.com does not believe the relationship between player and team is in a bad place. Reiss says Gilmore enjoys playing for the Pats, wants to remain in Foxborough, and held out of minicamp simply because he believed it was the most effective way to generate productive negotiations.

Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com agrees with Reiss and suggests that a new deal could be in place by the end of the summer (Twitter link). The Patriots did sign Jalen Mills as part of their free agent bonanza and plan to deploy him at corner, but there is a reason Mills’ old team, the Eagles, transitioned him to safety in advance of the 2020 season. He is simply not in Gilmore’s class, and since New England clearly has designs on returning to the playoffs this season, keeping Gilmore in the fold would seem imperative.

But there are complications. Gilmore will turn 31 in September, and though he made the Pro Bowl last season, that bid seemed to be based more on name recognition than anything else. He played in only 11 games due to injury and COVID-19, and Pro Football Focus ranked him just 61st among qualified corners.

On the other hand, he is just one year removed from Defensive Player of the Year honors, and he is not old enough to think he cannot at least come close to replicating that form. His camp has identified Darius Slay‘s three-year, $50MM contract with Philadelphia as a reasonable benchmark, and the fact that Gilmore is not shooting for a top-of-the-market deal suggests that the two sides might be able to find some common ground.

The Patriots still have a fair amount of cap space to work with, so Gilmore’s $16MM+ cap number for 2021 probably doesn’t bother them too much. Perhaps a front-loaded deal that gives Gilmore a nice influx of cash while providing New England with some flexibility after the upcoming season would make sense.

Vacillating between trade and extension candidacies, Stephon Gilmore is now a holdout. The All-Pro cornerback did not show for the start of Patriots minicamp, restoring his status as a front-burner offseason item.

As could be expected after Gilmore began a holdout, he and the Patriots do not appear to be close on a new deal. Progress toward a Gilmore extension has proven elusive this offseason, Jeff Howe of The Athletic notes (subscription required). Gilmore is entering the final season of a five-year, $65MM deal, but because the Pats moved $5MM of his 2021 salary to a 2020 pay bump, he is due just $7MM in base pay this year. The Pats planned to discuss his contract months ago, but those talks have not produced a solution.

[RELATED: Gilmore Open To Patriots Extension]

Gilmore’s camp may have identified workable terms, with Howe adding that Darius Slay‘s three-year, $50MM Eagles deal has come up as a comparable contract. The Eagles gave Slay that extension upon trading for him last year. While the per-year average falls below the new cornerback ceiling — raised to $20MM by Jalen Ramsey, with Tre’Davious White and Marlon Humphrey also driving a stagnant market north of $17MM per year — Gilmore is much older than the recently paid group of corners who changed the market.

Slay’s third NFL contract provides a closer comp to Gilmore’s current situation. The former Defensive Player of the Year is going into his age-31 season. Slay, whose resume is less decorated, was 29 when he signed his third NFL contract. The Eagles possessed a greater need at the position when they acquired and extended Slay, while the Patriots have been stingier with big-ticket contracts under Bill Belichick.

The Patriots have continually replaced impact corners without sacrificing much in the way of coverage capabilities, letting Darrelle Revis walk after his age-29 season and opting against paying Logan Ryan and Malcolm Butler big cash as free agents. Of course, New England has altered its usual financial blueprint this year by loading up on veteran talent in free agency. Gilmore’s presence would help the Pats’ quest to return to the playoffs considerably. He is, however, coming off an injury-shortened season. Gilmore suffered a partially torn quad in December.

New England has discussed Gilmore in trades on a few occasions over the past year and change. The Pats wanted a first-round pick for him at the 2020 deadline but did not come especially close to a trade. The prospect of a high-level Gilmore extension likely played into those trade talks. It will be interesting to see if the Patriots can bring the All-Pro cover man back into the fold with another one-season pay raise or if Gilmore is willing to push harder for an extension. Taking the latter route will be difficult, with the 2020 CBA making training camp holdouts tougher to wage.

Stephon Gilmore is holding out. The cornerback skipped the start of the Patriots’ minicamp and he’ll be keeping his distance for the full three-day period (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Mike Garafolo). 

Gilmore is rehabbing from a partially torn quad, but that’s only part of the story. Gilmore wants a new contract — he’s currently slated to make $7MM in base salary, which puts him outside of the top 20 for his position. Meanwhile, his $16.265MM cap figure is the highest of any corner, thanks to the Patriots’ previous adjustments to his deal. When the two sides were in a similar spot last year, the Pats agreed to accelerate $4.5MM of his pay.

The Pats inked Gilmore to a five-year, $65MM deal in 2017. That was a whopping contract at the time for the historically stingy Patriots, but it’s proven to be one of the best values in the entire league. Gilmore was named the Defensive Player of the Year in 2019. Meanwhile, Jalen Ramsey, Marlon Humphrey, and Tre’Davious White have all moved the market with $17MM+/year extensions.

Stephon Gilmore “would be very open to signing a new deal” with the Patriots, according to Albert Breer of SI.com. There hasn’t been much buzz about an extension for the Patriots cornerback lately, but the two sides could iron something out to put the recent trade rumors to bed. 

Gilmore is currently set to count for $7MM against the Patriots’ books. That’s not a ton of money for Gilmore, who earned 2019 Defensive Player of the Year honors, but it’s the final year on his deal. Sooner or later, the Pats will have a decision to make — do they want the 30-year-old on a pricey multi-year deal? Or, would they rather trade him now in exchange for draft capital?

The Patriots have discussed trades for Gilmore over the past year, but the more recent offers might not be to their liking. Last year, Gilmore was limited to just eleven games, thanks to COVID-19 and his season-ending injury. Meanwhile, his coverage numbers slipped — Pro Football Focus slotted him just 61st among corners last season.

The Patriots — or one of the league’s 31 other teams — will have to take Gilmore’s expected ask into consideration. Jalen Ramsey, Marlon Humphrey, and Tre’Davious White all moved the market last year with their $17MM+/year extensions. Despite Gilmore’s weak 2020, he’s in for a significant pay raise. If the Patriots don’t plan on paying J.C. Jackson top-CB money, they could use this opportunity to lock up Gilmore while his leverage is lacking.

We heard a couple days ago that Stephon Gilmore might be back on the trade block, but don’t count on the Patriots cornerback going anywhere anytime soon.

The Patriots “are not actively shopping” Gilmore, Jeff Howe of The Athletic writes. He acknowledges that Gilmore “has come up in trade conversations over the past year,” but says “nothing has ever come close to materializing.” He added rather firmly “that’s remained the case of late. If Gilmore’s name has come up in any discussions, it hasn’t been a result of the Patriots trying to unload him.”

It sounds like other interested teams might be calling the Patriots, but not the other way around. The 2019 NFL Defensive Player of the Year is entering the final season of his contract, which has led many to speculate New England could try to deal him now and cash in with draft picks if they don’t think they’ll be able to re-sign him.

But it shouldn’t be treated as a foregone conclusion that Bill Belichick won’t pay up to lock him up with another long-term deal. To the contrary, Howe thinks the fact that they aren’t actively shopping him might mean “there’s some level of belief the two sides can get something done.”

Needless to say given his recent accolades, Gilmore will be looking for a big payday when he hits the open market at the age of 31 next offseason. Despite playing in only 11 games, the former Bill made the Pro Bowl yet again this past year. New England does usually prefer to get rid of players too early rather than too late, so it certainly wouldn’t be surprising if they trade him before the start of the year or let him walk next March.

The Patriots have deviated from their usual free agency patience, handing out a number of lucrative deals this week. Stephon Gilmore received such treatment four years ago, but it is not certain he will link up with the host of UFAs the Pats have added this year.

After discussing Gilmore in trades last year, the Patriots are still believed to have the former Defensive Player of the Year on the block, Dan Graziano and Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com note (Insider link).

New England set a high asking price for Gilmore last year, seeking a first-round pick for the standout cover man. No team seriously approached that cost, and the market may be worse for Gilmore going into his contract year. Although he is due just $7MM in base salary next season, the expectation is a team trading for Gilmore would need to redo his deal.

The Pats were expected to discuss Gilmore’s contract, but it is unclear if the sides have reached a resolution. The sides agreed to a substantial pay bump for the 2020 season, but Gilmore remains attached to the five-year, $65MM contract he signed in 2017. Despite spending plenty of cash this week, the Patriots still have the cap room to retain Gilmore. But his hopes at an extension appear to be an issue.

The Pats have Jonathan Jones signed long-term, and they are expected to tender RFA J.C. Jackson. Jason McCourty is a free agent. New England also agreed to terms with safety/corner Jalen Mills this week. While Gilmore is not coming off his best season — one marred by a COVID-19 contraction — he is still one of the NFL’s best corners. Gilmore will turn 31 this year, so his prospects at landing a Jalen Ramsey– or Tre’Davious White-type extension will be minimized by his experience level.

Jalen Ramsey, Marlon Humphrey and Tre’Davious White signed extensions last year to move a long-stagnant cornerback market. This will undoubtedly affect the Patriots, who employ the only active cornerback to earn Defensive Player of the Year acclaim.

The Patriots discussed Stephon Gilmore in trades last year, doing so around draft time and before the trade deadline, but held onto him. The Pats sought a first-round pick for their standout corner, but Jeff Howe of The Athletic notes no one offered such compensation (subscription required) and a trade never became a realistic possibility.

Gilmore is heading into the final year of his deal. While the Patriots gave him a substantial pay raise for last season, the 30-year-old defender is due just a $7MM base salary in 2021. A 2019 restructure also elevated Gilmore’s 2021 cap charge to $16.3MM. Gilmore and the Patriots are expected to discuss his contract soon, Howe adds. While the Pats have more cap space (nearly $63MM) than almost every other team, they also have young corners who have played well and have never been shy about dealing high-profile talent under Bill Belichick.

After a five-year Bills run, Gilmore signed a five-year Patriots deal worth $65MM in 2017. He became the top cover man on two Super Bowl teams and claimed the Defensive Player of the Year award after a dominant 2019 campaign. The former first-round pick missed time last season due to a COVID-19 contraction and a season-ending injury. His coverage numbers slipped a bit from 2019, and Pro Football Focus slotted him 61st among corners last season. Ramsey, Humphrey and White all secured extensions worth north of $17MM per season, changing a market that had been stuck for several years.

Gilmore would still fetch the Pats something of value, were they to trade him. A second-round pick seems like the best realistic haul, per Howe. The upcoming talks between Gilmore and the Patriots will be interesting, given the team’s reliance on its defense after its offense’s significant decline over the past two years.