Patriots: It’s time to trade Stephon Gilmore and pay JC Jackson

It’s widely understood that the New England Patriots need to make serious upgrades to their offense this offseason after they finished 27th in the league in both points scored (20.4) and total yards (327.3) per game in 2020.

However, we wouldn’t exactly write off the defense as something that couldn’t prove to benefit from welcoming reinforcements.

While they didn’t exactly give up a ton of points per game (22.1), anybody who watched them on a weekly basis knows they were significantly more vulnerable compared to the usual suffocating brand of previous seasons.

Speaking strictly in terms of the secondary, it’s long overdue for the Patriots to start making some refinements.

Not that sweeping changes are necessary. Just a few tweaks that could create even more financial wiggle room that could be preserved for other potential big signings.

In our eyes, trading Stephon Gilmore and signing fellow cornerback JC Jackson to a long-term contract extension should be the move, and it boils down to a lot more than just Gilmore, who will turn 31 at the start of next season, clearly not fitting in to the Patriots’ future.

It’s time for the Patriots to move on from cornerback Stephon Gilmore.

By most statistical measures, Gilmore had a down year this past season, as he produced a pedestrian 58.7 coverage grade from Pro Football Focus. However, the fact that he allowed the fewest yards per game than his previous three campaigns (two of which he was named an All-Pro) proves he still has a ton of trade value. And we say that despite the injuries he picked up in 2020.

While there are concerns about whether Jackson is ready to assume No. 1 CB duties — folks will point to him getting torched by Stefon Diggs in Week 15 as their main argument — the Patriots will have to learn if he’s capable sooner or later.

Wouldn’t it just make sense to obtain some draft picks, which will be extremely helpful this year given the current state of the roster, before you entrust him with that role? Let’s not forget that we’re talking about a player who’s averaged a 72.2 coverage grade and conceded a 46.4 passer rating over his first three seasons. He also has a whopping 17 interceptions to his name.

It’s not like the Patriots wouldn’t have depth behind Jackson, either. Jonathan Jones, one of the most underrated cornerbacks in the league, is signed for another three years. There are questions as to who would fill in behind him, but trading Gilmore would allow the Patriots to more easily re-sign Jason McCourty, a free agent who’s still capable of playing at a high level, for veteran insurance.

This would be an entirely different conversation if Gilmore was still in his mid-to-late 20s. However, seeing as though he only has two or three years (at most) of his prime remaining should make this a fairly straightforward decision for the Patriots.

Gilmore being traded feels like it has been in the works for over a year now, and we couldn’t think of a better time for the front office to make it official than this offseason, when several changes to the roster figure to be made anyway.

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