Could the New England Patriots trade Stephon Gilmore?

The New England Patriots are 2-4 and trading Stephon Gilmore might be the best move for now and the future.

The New England Patriots are enduring perhaps their worst stretch of the Bill Belichick era. The team is 2-4 for the first time since 2000 and all bets are off for what the team might do at the upcoming trade deadline. There have been rumors about 2019 NFL Defensive Player of the Year being available for trade.

It is possible that where there’s smoke there is fire when it comes to cornerback Stephon Gilmore. According to a report on NBC Sports Boston, Gilmore may be ready for a trade and it would make sense for the team to maximize his value.

Gilmore is coming off of a great season and has watched other players at his position with fewer credentials get new lucrative contracts. If Gilmore wants more guaranteed money and/or a new extension, perhaps he knows he will not get it from the Patriots. Maybe this is why his house may be up for sale with a bidding deadline just after Tuesday’s trade deadline.

While he nor his wife have confirmed they are selling their home to relocate, fans of the Patriots did see a similar scenario play out with Tom Brady and his house last season. While the Brady listing was blown off as him simply just wanting to relocate to a new forever home for his family, perhaps Gilmore’s development will be viewed with more concern.

How realistic is it that the New England Patriots would trade Stephon Gilmore?

If the Patriots were to trade Gilmore, it would make complete sense. Gilmore carries a cap hit of $16.42 million next season and if he is traded the dead money would only be $8.92 million. He will be 31 years old next season and still seeking a new contract.

Bill Belichick’s track record with players who start to reach the wrong side of their prime is to not pay them at the top of the market. There are exceptions, but Gilmore may not join this list. Further, the team could possibly receive a second-round pick for him at the least and perhaps get another team’s undervalued player as a throw-in.

If a team had wide receiver depth and gave a second-round draft pick plus also their third-best receiver, it could be a win for the wide receiver depleted Patriots.

For what it’s worth, when asked about the rumors during his media availability on Wednesday, Belichick claimed ignorance to all of it by saying, per Boston.com:

"I don’t know anything about those."

He also praised Gilmore’s work ethic and abilities as a player:

"Steph works hard. He’s always ready to go. Changes up what he does based on our game plan, who we’re matched up against, the team we’re playing that particular week. He’s a very flexible player that understands what we’re trying to do and how it all fits together and works hard to do his part in it."

None of this is too surprising and I would be willing to bet Belichick the coach loves Gilmore. The personnel side of Belichick surely loves him too, but this side of Belichick is less prone to emotional decisions. He also wouldn’t give away any secrets if the team is indeed having ongoing trade talks about Gilmore.

The Patriots have a Gilmore successor in J.C. Jackson. He may never be as good as how Gilmore played last season, but he has been a very good cornerback to this point in his career. With Jackson and Jonathon Jones ready for more playing time in Gilmore’s absence, trading Gilmore does not have to be a complete waving of the white flag on the season.

If he is not in the team’s future plans, at 2-4 it would still be wise to explore what they could get for him for both the present and the future. It wouldn’t be surprising for the Patriots to make the trade to see if it lights a fire in the locker room. This would especially be true if Gilmore has been more worried about his next contract than we have seen publicly.

Belichick has previously said it is better to be a year early than a year late. It definitely feels like he may make this bet when it comes to Stephon Gilmore.