Patriots rumors: Why New England shouldn’t re-sign Stephon Gilmore

The New England Patriots are in an interesting situation. Do they play to win or do they begin a rebuild to make it back to the Super Bowl one day?

New England went out and spent a lot of money in free agency. They got some quality players but will the Patriots be able to compete in the playoffs? That’s still very much up in the air.

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This makes the Stephon Gilmore situation even more interesting. Should the Patriots re-sign him or try and trade the cornerback?

After being named Defensive Player of the Year in 2019, Gilmore had a mediocre season in New England. He struggled to stay on the field only playing in 11 games.

In 2020, Gilmore had just one interception and 37 tackles. There were also times where Gilmore struggled and just wasn’t a great corner.

At the end of this season, Gilmore will become an unrestricted free agent. According to Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated, Gilmore is open to staying in New England.

But does that mean New England should sign him?

Why the New England Patriots shouldn’t re-sign Stephon Gilmore.

The main reason the Patriots shouldn’t re-sign Gilmore is the fact that it doesn’t go with the team’s long-term vision.

New England needs to get younger. They partially did that with some of their free agent signings.

But the Patriots need to focus on building through the draft if anything. They need to develop talent that can last long.

Signing a player like Gilmore does not do that. By signing Gilmore you get an aging corner who also is on the decline.

The Patriots also have the talent where they don’t need Gilmore. J.C. Jackson has proven that he is more than capable of being a top cornerback. Jackson has covered some of the best wideouts in the NFL and has done a good job at that.

Also, this will be Gilmore’s last chance to cash in.  He is going to try and get as much money as he possibly can. While New England has spent money in free agency, it’s hard to believe that they will break out the checkbook for Gilmore.

So the Patriots need to either trade Gilmore or let him walk. If they trade Gilmore they could at least get draft picks or a younger star who can spend many years in New England. Re-signing Gilmore would do more harm than good at this point.