Why—here on May 9—is a former Defensive Player of the Year, two-time first-team All-Pro and five-time Pro Bowler still a free agent? Well, maybe part of it has to do with finding the right situation.
Free-agent cornerback Stephon Gilmore, who has been connected to the Carolina Panthers this offseason, recently spoke with NFL insider Josina Anderson about his status on the open market. He provided Anderson with the following statement:
“I’m still focused on playing, but it has to be the right opportunity. I feel like it’s the age thing with some of these teams. If I was 28, I would already have been signed by now; at the same time, I know the value I still bring. If you watch the tape, I feel like I played well the last two years, and literally almost played every snap last year. So I’m staying patient, while watching my son who’s a wide receiver and cornerback lock people up on the field with his defensive back skills too.”
Gilmore played in 99.1 percent of the defensive snaps for the Dallas Cowboys this past season. That near-perfect attendance record resulted in 68 combined tackles, two interceptions and 13 passes defensed for the 33-year-old.
But it’s those 33 years, as well as the injury he’s coming off of, that could be giving the Panthers pause on a reunion.
According to Joe Person of The Athletic, there has been no recent movement on a potential deal between Gilmore and Carolina—who has kept the possibility open, per general manager Dan Morgan. Person notes that Gilmore’s age and offseason labrum surgery could be holding back a return.
