PATRIOTS SIGN STEPHON GILMORE - BEST FREE AGENT CORNER
Early in the tampering period, the Bears seemed to be a destination for Stephon Gilmore. Bills fans blew up Twitter, saying that Gilmores five interceptions last season were lucky and that Chicago was overpaying.
By Thursday morning, Gilmore wasnt going to the Bears. In fact, he will face the Bills twice a year as a New England Patriot, and suddenly #BillsMafia is left wondering, What does Bill Belichick know that we dont?
Thats the aura that Belichick holds in this league. With five Super Bowl titles and 13 division titles in the last 14 years, when Belichick and the Patriots make a move, it makes observers rethink everything.
Its why Gilmores five-year contract worth $65 million with a whopping $40 million guaranteed doesnt bat as many eyes with the Patriots as it would with another team.
Belichick gets away with moves in the public arena that other GMs wouldnt. He has brought plenty of cast-offs to Foxborough and finds a way to make it work. He also has let plenty of stars walk in free agency or go via trade in transactions that would send mobs with pitchforks out after other GMs. Thats why when reports surfaced that the Patriots could trade Malcolm Butler, the overall response was, Oh, that makes sense as opposed to Why would you trade your best corner!
Back to Gilmore, a first-round pick for the Bills in 2012 who had five interceptions last season and has 14 in his career to go along with 62 passes defensed. Buffalo wasnt going to pay that kind of top dollar for Gilmore, who may not be a perfect fit in new head coach Sean McDermotts defense, but its extremely rare to see the Patriots and $40 million guaranteed in the same sentence for a free agent, too.
The Patriots dont usually set the market. They did sign Darrelle Revis in 2014, Randy Moss in 2008 and Adalius Thomas in 2007. But they had a need at corner with Logan Ryan set to sign elsewhere and Butler potentially up for grabs. Gilmore has great length and ball skills, plus hes only 26 years old.
The Bills, though, are in the unenviable position here because of Belichicks track record, not to mention Buffalos nearly two decades of playoff futility compared to the Patriots dynasty.
Its a massive contract to be sure, one that Belichick and the Patriots will get credit for because of their past (and if it doesn"t work out for some reason, the Pats will get out from under it and be praised for moving on), while the Bills have to hope their decision not to bring back Gilmore doesnt come back to bite them twice a year.
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Source: http://kokomoperspective.com/sports/nfl/new-england-patriots-pay-top-dollar-to-swipe-stephon-gilmore/article_e7d2c6f6-2999-5f5e-b220-bc2a562d8568.html
