Josh McDaniels Reportedly Pushing To Sign Another Ex-Patriots Star

The Las Vegas Raiders aren’t done adding.

After already signing Pro Bowl edge rusher Chandler Jones and swinging a blockbuster trade for All-Pro wide receiver Davante Adams, Josh McDaniels’ new club reportedly is making a strong push for free agent cornerback Stephon Gilmore.

“If (the Raiders) don’t land Stephon Gilmore it won’t be for lack of trying,” Vincent Bonsignore of the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported early Friday morning. “They are making a run.”

McDaniels, of course, is familiar with Gilmore from their time together in New England. Gilmore emerged as the NFL’s premier cover man over his four seasons with the Patriots, earning NFL Defensive Player of the Year honors in 2019.

The 31-year-old has taken a step back since that dynamite 2019 campaign, but he still made the Pro Bowl as an alternate this season after being traded to the Carolina Panthers last October. Gilmore has yet to sign with a new club since his contract expired this week.

Unsurprisingly, McDaniels and general manager Dave Ziegler have begun to populate the Raiders’ roster and coaching staff with Patriots alums. New signees Jones, Brandon Bolden and Jakob Johnson all spent time in New England, and more than a half-dozen of McDaniels’ assistants made stops in Foxboro, including three who were with the Patriots in 2021. Las Vegas also showed interest in James White before the running back re-signed with New England.

McDaniels’ old team thus far has taken a markedly different approach in free agency, signing just two mid-to-low-level veterans (cornerback Terrance Mitchell and hybrid running back Ty Montgomery) and swinging a trade for 24-year-old linebacker Mack Wilson.