Former NFL Defensive Player of the Year Stephon Gilmore is going to be one of the hottest names on the NFL free agent market this spring.
Gilmore, 31, remains one of the best cornerbacks in the NFL despite his relatively advanced age for that position. After being acquired from the New England Patriots back in October of last year, he performed exceptionally well for the Carolina Panthers.
There’s now every reason to believe that the South Carolina product will leave Carolina for another team in free agency. If so, here’s a look at four ideal landing spots.
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Stephon Gilmore heads to Arizona
A lot of blame was placed on head coach Kliff Kingsbury and quarterback Kyler Murray for the Cardinals’ late-season meltdown in 2021. Sure they deserve some of the blame. But the team’s pass defense was absolutely atrocious. That included giving up 30 passing touchdowns against 13 interceptions on the campaign.
Gilmore would change that in a heartbeat if the Cardinals were able to add this five-time Pro Bowler to the mix. He’d team up with an improved Byron Murphy to give Arizona two legitimate starting corners out on the boundary. Meanwhile, 2021 fourth-round pick Marco Wilson (120.8 passer rating allowed as a rookie) would fit in better in the slot.
Related: Sportsnaut’s updated 2022 NFL mock draft
Kansas City Chiefs go big-game hunting
The Chiefs are another team that struggled at cornerback a season ago. This came up big time during their playoff run — culminating in a loss to the Cincinnati Bengals in the AFC Championship Game. Outside of Charvarius Ward, there isn’t much to write home about here. Fellow starting corner L’Jarius Sneed yielded a 69% completion mark and 91.9 rating when targeted. Gilmore would be a vast improvement.
- Stephon Gilmore stats (2021): 159 yards allowed, 78.6 passer rating on 25 targets
Those are some truly elite numbers. They also tell us the story of someone who quarterbacks still don’t target at a high clip. Whether Kansas City can afford Gilmore remains to be seen. The team is $11.50 million under the cap. It also has to re-sign stars Orlando Brown Jr. and Tyrann Mathieu in free agency.
Related: Stephon Gilmore and top 2022 NFl free agents
Dallas Cowboys give Trevon Diggs running partner
For as good as Diggs was last season in Dallas (11 interceptions, two touchdowns), he did struggle giving up the big play. In fact, the All-Pro performer gave up a league high 907 receiving yards when targeted. He also yielded an eye-opening 411 yards after the catch.
If Dallas can get a true shutdown guy opposite Diggs, it would enable the former Alabama standout to continue with his ball-hawk ways while the Cowboys send help over the top. It’s actually a pretty ideal fit for a team that doesn’t have much behind Diggs on the depth chart.
San Francisco 49ers add Stephon Gilmore to the mix
Former 49ers cornerback Richard Sherman noted recently that he firmly believes Gilmore will sign with either San Francisco or the Seattle Seahawks in the NFC West. If the veteran wants to compete for a title, he’s better served doing it with a team that’s earned two NFC Championship Game appearances in three seasons.
As for the 49ers, they struggled with consistency at cornerback once Jason Verrett went down to a torn ACL in Week 1. Josh Norman was an absolute disaster (110.6 passer rating allowed). Youngsters Ambry Thomas and Deommodore Lenoir were inconsistent throughout the campaign. Adding Stephon Gilmore to the mix with their limited finances has to be seen as a priority for general manager John Lynch and Co.