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Just when the Dallas Cowboys thought they pulled off the shocker of the week by releasing linebacker Jaylon Smith, the New England Patriots decided to one-up them by releasing cornerback and former Defensive Player of the Year Stephon Gilmore. He’s been injured so far this season and was in a contract year. Instead of paying him, the Patriots decided to cut him loose now.
According to NFL insider Josina Anderson, the quad injury that ails Gilmore is now “good.” He’s 31-years-old now and coming off a down year where he only played in 11 games. Despite that, he’s still looking to make $15+ million a year on the open market, per Anderson. There are some red flags but there will be a ton of interest in Gilmore on the open market. The Las Vegas Raiders suffered injuries to cornerback Trayvon Mullen and Damon Arnette in Week 4. If the injuries are significant, they should be looking into Gilmore right now. Former NFL cornerback Darius Butler named the Raiders as one of the teams that he’s like to see the former Defensive Player of the Year play for.
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Can Raiders Make a Run at Gilmore?
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GettyStephon Gilmore formely of the New England Patriots
The Raiders currently only have a little less than $5 million in cap space, per Spotrac. That’s not even close to as much as the team needs to pay Gilmore what he wants. However, most contending teams don’t just have $15+ million in cap space during the middle of the season.
Las Vegas can obviously move some things around. Perhaps extend Derek Carr’s contract or cut a player like Jalen Richard. There are all sorts of cap magic general manager Mike Mayock can do to afford the star cornerback. If the injury to Mullen is going to keep him out for some time, the Raiders should seriously consider going after Gilmore. The defense has been solid for the team this season but that won’t be the case if their depth at cornerback is depleted.
Gilmore Would Give Raiders Elite CB Duo
A very appealing aspect with a possible Gilmore addition is that it would give the Raiders arguably the best cornerback duo in the NFL. Casey Hayward has turned back the clock early in the season and is playing at an elite level. According to Pro Football Focus, Hayward is the No. 1 rated cornerback in the NFL through four games. However, he’s 32-years-old so it remains to be seen how sustainable his success is.
Adding another veteran stud like Gilmore would take a lot of pressure off Hayward. The Raiders play in the AFC West against two of the NFL’s best passing attacks in the Kansas City Chiefs and Los Angeles Chargers. Having an elite cornerback duo would certainly help against those teams. The Raiders clearly believe they can be a playoff team this year and signing Gilmore would do a lot to ensure that happens. They just need to figure out how to make the money work.
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