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It has not been an easy NFL offseason for Cowboys cornerback Stephon Gilmore, after what was a more than respectable showing in 2023. The longtime star and former Defensive Player of the Year—with five Pro Bowl selections and a Super Bowl title to his credit—remains unemployed.
His two-year, $20 million contract he’d signed with the Colts in 2022, before the Cowboys obtained him in a trade last offseason, has expired and Gilmore is a free agent. Teams have not been busting down his door for a chance to sign him, but he added that he is not going to sign on just for the sake of signing.
By any measure, Gilmore was well above average last year. The only conceivable reason that he has not been signed, it seems, is his age. He turns 34 in September.
“I’m still focused on playing, but it has to be the right opportunity. I feel like it’s the age thing with some of these teams. If I was 28, I would already have been signed by now; at the same time, I know the value I still bring,” Gilmore told CBS Sports’ Josina Anderson.
Cowboys Trade Worked Out Perfectly
Going back to last season, Gilmore was a season-saver when he was acquired in the March trade, then teamed with corner DaRon Bland to make up a potent cover tandem even after star corner Trevon Diggs went out for the season with a torn ACL.
The Cowboys would have been in a true bind if Gilmore had not been in place after Diggs got hurt.
Bland is back to see if he can repeat the magic of last year, when he had a league-high nine interceptions and a record five for touchdowns. Diggs also is back and expected to be healthy for the start of the 2024 season. That’s why the Cowboys let Gilmore walk in free agency.
No one has picked him up since. But Gilmore is not sweating it.
“If you watch the tape, I feel like I played well the last two years, and literally almost played every snap last year,” he said. “So I’m staying patient, while watching my son who’s a wide receiver and cornerback lock people up on the field with his defensive back skills too.”
Stephon Gilmore Still Can Play
Gilmore was not completely healthy at the end of last season, either. He suffered a shoulder injury that he tried to play through back in January. He subsequently had surgery on the shoulder, though he should be ready for the start of the 2024 season.
Despite all that, Gilmore has shown he can still be a shutdown corner. He allowed a passer rating of 82.7 when balls were thrown his way, which is the highest of his career but still a dependable number for a starting corner. As a team, the Cowboys allowed an 84.3 passer rating, which was ninth-best in the NFL.
Pro Football Focus pegged Gilmore as the 34th best free agent this offseason, the highest player to remain unsigned. It also forecast a $10 million salary for him, though that ship may well have sailed.
The site wrote: “Gilmore’s trade from the Indianapolis Colts to the Dallas Cowboys this offseason got him back to playing contending football, and he hasn’t skipped a beat at any point as he’s moved around over the past few years. Gilmore still thrives in single coverage and can jostle with the more physical receivers who play through contact, timing his leap well on contested catches and jumping routes with top-end play recognition.
“A matchup with A.J. Brown in Week 14 had him playing inspired football after Brown allegedly called him old early on in the contest. Gilmore rose to the occasion and locked Brown down until the game was out of reach in the second half.”
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