Getty Buccaneers head coach Bruce Arians said the team might have to look behind "Door No. 2" at quarterback.
Another one of Tom Brady’s former teammates was almost a free agent and Stephon Gilmore was linked to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. USA Today’s Josina Anderson reported the Buccaneers were going to “investigate” Gilmore as a possible solution for their banged-up secondary. The Patriots planned to release Gilmore but the Panthers struck an 11th-hour trade before the Bucs and other contenders had a chance to sign the Pro Bowl corner.
“I’m told just now that the Tampa Bay Bucs are at least one team that ‘will definitely investigate,’ CB Stephon Gilmore’s availability, per league source,” Anderson noted on Twitter.
The Gilmore rumors prompted internet detectives to notice that the corner’s Instagram follows include Sean Murphy-Bunting, Devin White, Lavonte David, Richard Sherman and Ndamukong Suh. All this speculation ended as the Panthers traded for Gilmore by sending the Patriots a future sixth-round pick just hours before the team planned to grant the corner his release.
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There Was Growing Speculation Brady Would Give Gilmore His Best Recruiting Pitch
NFL insider Dov Kleiman envisioned Brady making another one of his famous recruiting pitches to Gilmore. After the Bucs signed Richard Sherman, the veteran corner admitted Brady’s pitch played a role in his decision to sign with Tampa Bay.
“Stephon Gilmore hitting the open market mid-season is an amazing gift for a lot of teams,” Kleiman said in a series of tweets. “Especially Tom Brady’s team, his former teammate, that has a hospital ward open with all their injuries at CB. Tom Brady recruited Richard Sherman to come to Tampa. If the Bucs can work out a way to create cap space, he should recruit Gilmore to come as well.”
The Bucs are dealing with significant injuries in the secondary as Murphy-Bunting, Carlton Davis, Jamel Dean and Antoine Winfield Jr. are all sidelined. Anderson reported Gilmore is seeking $15 million annually, but the Bucs only had $3.3 million cap space, per Over the Cap. Even at Gilmore’s high asking price, the Buccaneers could have pulled some strings to create enough cap room to add the four-time Pro Bowler.
“If we assume that Gilmore wants $15M, that would prorate out to $10M for the balance of this season,” Over the Cap’s Jason Fitzgerald detailed on Twitter. “If that is indeed the number you probably would need $2.64M in cap room to make that work (possibly a little less but that is the clean way to come up with a number).”
Gilmore on Brady: ‘It Was a Pleasure to Suit up With You During My Career’
After Brady signed with the Bucs, Gilmore took to Instagram to discuss his relationship with the legendary quarterback.
“I saw how TB worked everyday in practice and prepared everyday to be the great player he is,” Gilmore said on March 17, 2020. “I applied that to myself and that’s why I’ve became the player i am till this day. Thanks for showing me how to be great and stay great each and everyday. It was a pleasure to suit up with you during my career. #earnednotgiven”
With the Buccaneers already signing Sherman, not everyone was buying the idea that the team would land Gilmore. The Athletic’s Greg Auman did not see the move happening unless the Bucs sustain even more injuries in the secondary.
“Again, I don’t think the Bucs look hard at Gilmore unless they have real concerns that the injured corners won’t be back healthy this season,” Auman tweeted.