3 best landing spots for Stephon Gilmore in NFL free agency
Stephon Gilmore was released by the Carolina Panthers following the conclusion of the 2021 NFL season. He was only acquired in October 2021, with the Panthers giving up a sixth-round 2023 NFL draft pick in a trade with the New England Patriots.
The cornerback has missed time due to injuries he sustained during the last couple of seasons, but that didn't stop him from making two interceptions in only eight appearances (three starts) during his tenure with the Carolina Panthers.
Gilmore, who was named the NFL's Defensive Player of the Year in 2019, is one of the biggest names on the free agency market and, at only 31-years-old, still has a lot to offer in the league.
Here are three teams who would be ideal landing spots for the former Panthers', Patriots' and Bills' cornerback.
NFL Rumors: 3 best landing spots for Stephon Gilmore in NFL free agency
#1 - Cincinnati Bengals
The Cincinnati Bengals have been busy this free agency period, but most of their spending has been on the offensive line. La'el Collins, Alex Cappa and Ted Karras have all been brought in by Zac Taylor's side. Their inability to protect quarterback Joe Burrow was one of the main reasons they didn't win Super Bowl 56.
Yesterday, the Bengals announced they had released cornerback Trae Waynes, who was signed to a three-year $42 million contract in 2020. He managed to play in only five games for the Bengals before he was cut.
The Bengals could do with replacing Waynes quickly, and the cornerback is the obvious candidate remaining within the free agency pool. With Mike Hilton, Chidobe Awuzie and Eli Apple as the three current starters, Bengals fans will undoubtedly love the idea of the former Patriot coming in to provide some competition in the secondary as they look to make it back to the Super Bowl.
Bengals have officially released CB Trae Waynes, the team announced.
#2 - Las Vegas Raiders
The Raiders' 2021 season was shrowded in controversy following the arrests of Henry Ruggs III and Damon Arnette. Despite this, they still managed to make it to the playoffs, where they were defeated by the aforementioned Cincinnati Bengals.
New head coach Josh McDaniels will be tasked with replacing former first-round pick Arnette at cornerback, and picking up Gilmore would be an obvious choice.
The Raiders have already addressed the secondary issue slightly by picking up Anthony Averett from the Baltimore Ravens, Rock Ya-Sin in a trade that saw Yannick Ngakoue head the opposite direction to the Indianapolis Colts and Darius Phillips from the Cincinnati Bengals.
Despite beefing up the unit, the AFC West is as stacked as it's ever been, and with Russell Wilson, Patrick Mahomes and Justin Herbert throwing at them six times a season, a move to Las Vegas would suit both the Raiders and the cornerback.
#3 - Kansas City Chiefs
Staying in the AFC West, we could see Andy Reid and the Kansas City Chiefs making a run at snapping up Stephon Gilmore. Their secondary might have just acquired safety Justin Reid from the Texans, but they look likely to lose Tyrann Mathieu and have already lost two cornerbacks in Charvarius Ward to the San Francisco 49ers and Mike Hughes to the Detroit Lions.
The Chiefs' cap issue might be the biggest stumbling block on a deal going through, as they are currently -$2.0 million under the cap, according to Pro Football Network.
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The Chiefs are light on cornerbacks though, with L'Jarious Sneed being their standout, and with wide receiving talent in the AFC West such as Davante Adams, Keenan Allen and Jerry Jeudy to contend with on the regular, a move to pick up Stephon Gilmore to contend with them makes a lot of sense.