Getty The Vikings were named the top landing spot for Patriots All-Pro corner Stephon Gilmore.
Amid an offseason with flashy free-agent signings, the Minnesota Vikings have enough cap space to end the 2021 offseason with one final boom.
After restructuring Danielle Hunter’s contract and signing three-technique pass-rusher Sheldon Richardson, Minnesota has $10.3 million in remaining cap space for the upcoming season, per Over the Cap.
While the free agency market has dried up, several valuable players could still be acquired by trade.
Fansided’s Mike Luciano tabbed the Vikings as the top landing spot for New England Patriots All-Pro cornerback and 2019 NFL Defensive Player of the Year Stephon Gilmore, who is embroiled in a contract dispute with the Patriots, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.
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Vikings Could ‘Take Control’ of NFC North With Gilmore
Gilmore, rehabbing from a partially torn quad injury, was a no-show at Patriots OTAs and minicamp, Rapoport reported. During a video press conference the following day, Patriots head coach Bill Belichick was asked about Gilmore’s absence. “I don’t expect him to be here, and we’ll just focus on the guys that are here,” Belichick said.
The 30-year-old corner is seeking a new contract given he is owed zero guarantees and is garnering a base salary of $7 million in 2021, per Over The Cap.
The Patriots can save $7.7 million in cap space by trading or cutting Gilmore, who has maintained premier cornerback play but is entering the moonlight of his career.
Here’s what Luciano wrote on the Vikings being the ideal fit for Gilmore:
Not only is Mike Zimmer a defensive head coach, but he is a guy who made his name coaching some of the best defensive backs in the game with the Cowboys in the ’90s. If anyone knows both what a great cornerback can do for his team and how to get the most out of said cornerback, it’s Zim.
The Vikings have plenty of picks to give to New England in return, and they might need to surrender those picks up to take control of the division. The Bears will start a rookie in Justin Fields eventually, the Lions are rebuilding, and the Packers are one Aaron Rodgers trade away from being average. The Vikings should be on the phone with New England right now.
Gilmore is coming off three consecutive Pro Bowl appearances and earned two first-team All-Pro nods in 2018 and 2019. When targeted, he allowed a 57.1 completion rate and an opposing passer rating of just 75.7 last season in what was considered a regressive year for the former No. 10 overall pick.
Minnesota has six 2022 draft picks and an additional pair of conditional picks that could offer flexibility in making a deal with the Patriots.
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Gilmore Could Become Latest Veteran to Prove It in Minnesota
Minnesota has quietly become a magnet franchise for veterans looking to take a pay cut and prove their worth when the NFL’s cap ceiling increases in 2022.
Cornerbacks Patrick Peterson ($8 million), Bashaud Breeland ($3 million), Mackensie Alexander ($1.1 million), Parry Nickerson ($920,000), Tye Smith ($990,000) and Amari Henderson ($660,000) all signed single-year deals with the Vikings this offseason and will be looking to further their security in the league.
While the cornerbacks room looks loaded, Minnesota will be appraising the position closely this season in seeing who to bring back in 2022.
Considering safety Harrison Smith is playing under the final year of his contract and fellow starting safety Xavier Woods is on a single-year contract, the secondary is under pressure to perform this season.
Adding Gilmore to the mix could put the secondary over the top for years to come while 2020 third-round pick Cameron Dantzler continues to develop.