Why Stephon Gilmore’s Injury Timeline Might End Contract Impasse

Have unfortunate circumstances brought Stephon Gilmore and the New England Patriots into harmony?

NFL insiders Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated and Ian Rapoport of NFL Media both suggested Tuesday the expected timeline of Gilmore’s return will end his contract impasse with the Patriots. Gilmore will begin the season on New England’s physically unable to perform list, ruling him out for the first six games of the campaign. Given Gilmore’s demand for a raise on his $7 million salary for 2021, Breer and Raporport believe his absence creates a situation in which he’d be willing to earn that much to play 11-plus games in his contract year.

“Gilmore was never playing in 2021 for $7 million,” Breer wrote in a tweet. “And in part bc his contract wasn’t adjusted, he’ll now get that much for playing half the season.”

“We discussed over the last weeks and several months the contract negotiations for Stephon Gilmore and the Patriots,” Rapoport said on “NFL Total Access.” ” … We probably should have spent more time talking about the injury. He is not going to be healthy until at least Week 3 or 4. That was as explained to me, and now he is going to get ample time to recover and be ready by Week 7 or shortly thereafter.

“But he’s probably going to do it without a raise. What this means is Stephon Gilmore’s going to play 11 games for the Patriots at his previous salary, which doesn’t mean that he got a raise, it doesn’t help him in any way. But the Patriots are giving him what they’re giving him. He’s going to end up giving them 11 games.”

Going on the Patriots PUP list doesn’t necessarily secure Gilmore’s immediate future with the team. He has been subject of trade rumors and likely will continue to appear in them in the lead-up to the Nov. 2 deadline.