Stephon Gilmore has been one of the best cornerbacks in the NFL for a long time. After five quality years to start his career in Buffalo, Gilmore broke out with the Patriots. He spent four years in New England, winning the Defensive Player of the Year award in 2019 and racking up 11 interceptions during that span.
Since 2021, he’s bounced around the league a bit, spending a year each with the Panthers, Colts, Cowboys and most recently the Vikings. In the last three seasons, Gilmore totaled 190 tackles, five interceptions and 33 passes defensed. PFF had him ranked as the 68th-best corner in the league last year with a 59.2 coverage grade.
Gilmore’s days of being a stud top corner are behind him, but he’s put together some nice seasons as a veteran mercenary in the twilight of his career. For a team that needs a quality option to supplement their secondary, Gilmore would be a good fit if he’s still interesting in playing another season.
Gilmore, 34, was taken with the No. 10 overall pick by the Bills back in 2012. He played out his rookie contract, but the Bills elected to pick up his fifth-year option for the 2016 season.
Gilmore would later depart for a five-year, $65 million contract that includes $31 million guaranteed with the Patriots. He stood to make a base salary of $7 million in 2021 when he was traded to the Panthers for a future sixth.
From there, Gilmore signed a two-year, $23 million contract with the Colts in 2022. Indianapolis traded him to the Cowboys last March. This past offseason, Gilmore signed a one-year, $7 million deal with the Vikings
In 2024, Gilmore appeared in 15 games for the Vikings and recorded 56 tackles, an interception and nine pass defenses.
We have him included in our Top 100 Available NFL Free Agents list.
Los Angeles Chargers
Under HC Jim Harbaugh, the Chargers have been trying to get younger on defense. They’ve allowed some of their older veterans to walk while bringing in rookie talent to replace them over the last two offseasons. The defensive line and linebacker corps have undergone this transition, but cornerback is lagging behind.
Tarheeb Still was a great mid-round find last year, and he’ll lock down the slot cornerback spot. On the outside though, it’s a little messy. Donte Jackson is a presumed starter, with Benjamin St-Juste and Cam Hart likely competing for the other spot. None of those players ranked inside the top 80 in PFF grade last year, with Jackson and St-Juste falling outside the top 100. Outside corner is not a strength of this Los Angeles team.
Though Gilmore isn’t a true No. 1 corner anymore, he’d undoubtedly start for the Chargers. It’s probably too late in the offseason to get a top option at the position, but Gilmore provides value. He wouldn’t be expensive and would stabilize the floor at corner for the Chargers. After earning a wildcard berth last season, the last thing they should do is take a step back because they failed to adequately address the corner position.
Dallas Cowboys
Projecting free agents to return to an old team can be a tricky proposition. There’s a reason it doesn’t often happen, as the circumstances that led the two sides to part ways usually don’t change. But setting that aside, this fit makes a ton of sense on paper.
Cowboys CB Trevon Diggs had offseason knee surgery and isn’t expected to be ready by the start of the 2025 season. Between Diggs and DaRon Bland, Dallas has a pair of impact starters. But with Diggs set to miss at least the opening of the season, there are some questions behind him. Third-round rookie Shavon Revel is rehabbing his own knee injury and shouldn’t be expected to play a major role right away. Trade acquisition Kaiir Elam was attacked repeatedly by opposing offenses whenever the Bills were forced to play him. It’s a lot of question marks behind the two starters.
Even when Diggs returns, it would be unreasonable to expect him to jump right back into his every-snap role. The Cowboys have familiarity with Gilmore from his time in Dallas in 2023. He could start until Diggs returns, then split snaps as Diggs ramps back up. Gilmore won’t be asked to do too much and would provide a reliable stopgap, unlike Dallas’ current options on the depth chart.
Los Angeles Rams
Right now, the biggest trade story in the NFL is Dolphins CB Jalen Ramsey. Both he and the organization have made it clear he’ll be playing elsewhere in 2025, and Miami is currently looking into potential trades. While Ramsey’s salary is a sticking point for teams, at this point a trade is more a matter of when, not if. The Rams are familiar with Ramsey, as he was a key piece of their 2022 Super Bowl team. Speculation of a reunion abounds, and Los Angeles is considered the current frontrunner to land him.
But let’s say that doesn’t happen. Maybe another team makes a better offer, or the Rams refuse to pay Ramsey’s full salary and the deal falls through. What then? The Rams needed a cornerback this offseason and didn’t get one. Some combination of Darious Williams, Ahkello Witherspoon, and Derion Kendrick are the projected starters. That group doesn’t inspire a ton of confidence, and although the rest of the defense should be pretty strong, poor cornerback play is tough to overcome.
The Rams are in a narrow contention window in the last few years of QB Matthew Stafford’s career. They’re aware of their hole at corner, if their interest in Ramsey is any indication, and even a mid-level addition to the spot could pay dividends. Gilmore would start in Los Angeles and would be a good floor-raiser in the secondary.
