Patriots better hope rumored Stephon Gilmore-Bills reunion doesn’t happen

To say the New England Patriots have deployed a conservative approach to free agency would be an understatement. While trading for DeVante Parker did a lot to ease concerns about the wide receiving corps, the Patriots still have an uphill climb in terms of closing the gap with the AFC’s elite.

While multiple AFC teams have moved the needle this offseason, the Buffalo Bills have really set the bar for the rest of the conference.

Despite returning maybe the most talented roster in the entire NFL, the Patriots’ foremost rival went out and added Von Miller while making key depth pickups in the form of Jamison Crowder, Tim Settle, Duke Johnson, OJ Howard and Jordan Phillips.

Like we said, the Patriots have a lot of catching up to do, and it doesn’t help they’ve already lost JC Jackson, Shaq Mason and Ted Karras.

You know what could make the offseason much worse for Bill Belichick, though? If the Bills sign their latest free agent target.

Stephon Gilmore signing with the Bills in free agency would be a terrible look for the Patriots.

That’s right, folks. On Sunday, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler revealed the Bills, Chiefs and Eagles are interested in signing Stephon Gilmore. Could you imagine the uproar if Gilmore turned around and signed with the team that drafted him after the Patriots traded him and his expiring deal to Carolina in October?

Belichick would never hear the end of it, and rightfully so.

The decision to trade Gilmore instead of ponying up the necessary money to fix his contract was questionable at the time and it looks borderline unforgivable after Jackson inked a five-year contract with the Chargers.

Though the Patriots boasted the league’s best defense for a two-month stretch last campaign, the unit capitulated down the stretch. Over the last four games (three losses), it allowed an average of 25.7 points. Take the 50-10 win over Jacksonville out of the equation and that number balloons to 31 points.

And do we really have to remind you of the debacle against Buffalo in the first round of the playoffs? That brings us to our next point.

The Bills reuniting with Gilmore as payback after the Patriots signed him as a free agent back in 2017 would be one thing. Signing Gilmore after they embarrassed New England 47-17 on a national stage would be the ultimate egg-in-the-face moment for Belichick and the front office.

The only way Belichick could rectify this mess would be to swoop in and sign Gilmore after acquiring draft capital to trade him in the first place. If he doesn’t and the star CB winds up back in Buffalo, though, it would be a disaster of epic proportions.

The Patriots aren’t supposed to be an organization that gets punked.

Patriots mock draft predicts crazy trade with AFC East rival

Henry McKenna of PatriotsWire predicted that the New England Patriots will trade down with the rival Buffalo Bills and select Florida cornerback Kaiir Elam.