Stephon Gilmore missing another practice proves Patriots blew it by not trading him
Stephon Gilmore missed another practice for the Patriots. Great.
It’s totally understandable that the Patriots didn’t want to unload all of their top talent at the trade deadline and fully punt the season/send the wrong message to the locker room. However, if one thing’s clear, it’s that Stephon Gilmore should have been dealt because now his value will only continue to plummet.
Gilmore, who was initially believed to be removed from the injury report on Wednesday after the team made a mistake, missed another practice on Thursday, putting his status for Sunday against the Ravens in even more doubt.
The fact of the matter is that New England did itself no favors with its reported asking price — a first-round pick and a player — if it was true. While it’s understandable Gilmore’s knee injury could’ve affected his value, it doesn’t really matter because said value is going to depreciate in some respect with every passing moment he’s on the Patriots.
The selling point should’ve been “you’ll have Gilmore for down the stretch and the postseason, in addition to next year.”
Stephon Gilmore didn't practice today due to the knee injury that has already cost him two games. Not an ideal sign for Sunday.
— Jeff Howe (@jeffphowe) November 12, 2020
When you factor in that he’ll likely need a contract extension after this season, one which the Patriots probably won’t give him, then Gilmore not being moved before Nov. 3 is even more puzzling. Of course, Bill Belichick can prove us all wrong by drafting a top QB, giving Gilmore a new deal, and using the rest of the plentiful cap space to make big upgrades, but that’s a lot to ask for.
The All-Pro corner is now on track to miss his third straight game in a season that’s all but officially lost. Why didn’t the Patriots just take a somewhat decreased return on Gilmore since they would’ve gotten more than they’re going to if they explore trades in the offseason?
Sources tell me nothing got real close on a Stephon Gilmore trade. The Pats likely did due diligence to see what kind of return they could get on their best asset. Gilmore also has a legitimate knee injury, although not a significant one.
— Karen Guregian (@kguregian) November 3, 2020
The Patriots defense is getting gashed each and every week and Gilmore continues to watch from the sidelines. With an extremely talented draft class on the horizon and Belichick’s desperate need to prove he can select effective players within the top 64 picks, the team should’ve just settled on a first-rounder for Gilmore and called it a day.
That could’ve given them more ammo to trade up for a top quarterback, wide receiver … whatever they need. Now, at best, they’re looking at a second-rounder since Gilmore carries a $17 million cap hit for 2021.
It seems the Patriots can’t do anything right, at least from the fan’s perspective, this year.
