The NFL trade came and went Tuesday afternoon, and Stephon Gilmore remained a New England Patriot.
The Patriots reportedly received calls on their star cornerback but opted not to move Gilmore.
ESPN’s Dianna Russini reported the Patriots’ asking price for Gilmore was a first-round draft pick and a player.
“It seemed like no (team) was able to get to that very heavy price,” Russini said on ESPN’s trade deadline special. “… I did also speak to Stephon Gilmore this week leading up to (the deadline) to try to get an idea of how he felt about all this, because we know he’s not really used to dealing with a New England team that is as bad as they are right now, and he had such a good attitude about all this.
“(He was) obviously open to whatever was going to be his destiny here, but I did get a sense that he wanted to stay in New England. … It seemed like the price tag for Gilmore was just a little too steep for other teams to get in on that.”
The Patriots currently sit at 2-5 following Sunday’s loss to the Buffalo Bills. Gilmore sat out that game with a knee injury, snapping a streak of 53 consecutive starts (including playoffs) for the 2019 NFL Defensive Player of the Year.
Karen Guregian of the Boston Herald reported the Patriots never “got real close” on a potential Gilmore trade. Guregian also reported Gilmore’s knee injury is “legitimate” but not “significant.” It remains to be seen whether he’ll be active Monday night against the 0-8 New York Jets.
The 30-year-old Gilmore is under contract through next season but is highly unlikely to play for his current 2021 salary of $7 million, meaning the Patriots almost certainly will need to either extend or trade him this offseason.
New England made just one deal on a quiet deadline day across the NFL, reportedly acquiring wide receiver Isaiah Ford from the Miami Dolphins for a 2022 seventh-round draft pick.
