NFL free agency: Predicting where top 25 projected players land in 2022
By Peter Panacy
46. . Cornerback. Indianapolis Colts. Stephon Gilmore. 5. player
2022 NFL free agency: Stephon Gilmore to Indianapolis Colts
At 30-years-old, Patriots cornerback Stephon Gilmore has lost a step and isn’t quite the same player he was the year before when he was the NFL’s Defensive Player of the Year.
That said, Gilmore is still a high-quality cornerback and will be in line for perhaps his last big payout before his career starts the inevitable decline. If there was a veteran who could potentially match Marshon Lattimore’s ability to break up passes, Gilmore is the one.
Especially considering he managed 20 pass breakups in 2018 and 2019 before having only three last year. Although, 2020 still resulted in Gilmore securing his fourth Pro Bowl nod.
With the Patriots heading towards a full-on rebuild mode this season that’ll likely stretch the next couple of years, Bill Belichick probably won’t want to extend or re-sign Gilmore. There are even ideas Belichick could trade Gilmore away before the last year of his current contract wraps up.
One of those teams that could be a trade partner or potential suitor on the 2022 NFL free agency market is the Colts who have a great deal of cap space and could use some veteran help within the secondary.
Look for Indy to make a hard push at Gilmore at some point between now and 2022.