Patriots’ asking price for Stephon Gilmore ahead of trade deadline revealed

According to reports, the Patriots want a lot in return for Stephon Gilmore.

The New England Patriots pretty much need a miracle if they’re going to make the playoffs this year. They’re sitting at 2-5 and still have matchups with the Ravens, Cardinals, Rams, Chargers and Bills remaining. None of those are cakewalks.

Heading into last week’s crucial game against Buffalo, many speculated the Pats could be sellers at the Nov. 3 trade deadline if they lost, and the moment Cam Newton fumbled on the final drive with seconds remaining, you could hear the alarms.

It’s no secret — at least, according to reports — that Stephon Gilmore has been among those floated in trade talks, even dating back to the offseason, and apparently he’s still a prominent name being thrown out there ahead of Tuesday’s 4 p.m. deadline. The only problem is that the Patriots reportedly want a lot in return for the cornerback.

Is 1.5 years of Gilmore worth that? You could certainly make a case, but since any team that acquires him will be on the hook for about $13 million in 2020 and then his $17 million cap hit in 2021, it’s hard to justify surrendering that type of value for a cornerback on the wrong side of 30 who has shown holes in his game so far this season.

Additionally, he dealt with a COVID-19 diagnosis weeks ago and missed this past Sunday’s game with a knee injury. Though his body of work speaks for itself, he’s not exactly trending in the right direction these last few weeks when it comes to bolstering trade value.

Additionally, some also might view the two-time All-Pro as a product of the Patriots’ well-oiled machine that is their defensive system. There’s no doubt Gilmore was a good cornerback during his first five years with Buffalo, but he’s blown that production out of the water in his first three seasons with New England.

A first-round pick AND a player is perhaps a lot to ask for, especially given the deficiencies we’ve seen in Gilmore’s game this year (he’s being outplayed by JC Jackson), but you can’t blame Bill Belichick for trying to cash out with his best trade piece.

Perhaps a team that really wants to jump into the contender conversation or another that wants to further bolster its Super Bowl chances could end up biting here, but it’d be hard to bank on that when you consider Gilmore’s contract and largely unimpressive 2020.

Then again, it’s the Patriots. They usually get their way.

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