Panthers deal for CB Stephon Gilmore: What does the big trade mean?
Well, it seems as though these Carolina Panthers aren’t messing around, huh?
In a hectic couple of hours on Wednesday, two-time All-Pro Stephon Gilmore wrapped up his successful five-year stay with the New England Patriots in almost one fell swoop. And swooping in was general manager Scott Fitterer.
So what does this shocking (and exciting) move mean for the Panthers?
The time to win is now
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As of now, there is no guarantee that Gilmore will stay beyond the 2021 season. The five-year deal he inked with the Patriots in 2017 is up after the current campaign and, according to Greg Bedard of Boston Sports Journal, there is no imminent pay bump or extension on the horizon.
While that, of course, can change in the coming months, this move for Gilmore tells us the Panthers currently see a window to contend right now.
Carolina, as they did with fellow cornerback and new teammate C.J. Henderson, saw an opportunity arise. With the devastating injury to standout rookie Jaycee Horn, the secondary needed an outside presence to keep the machine oiled up. So perhaps the league’s Defensive Player of the Year from two years ago will suffice.
Year No. 2 of a rebuild? Yeah, right.
Phil Snow has a big bag of tricks again
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Besides the talent, youth and wide-ranging speed throughout his unit, defensive coordinator Phil Snow has found the key to his defense is their versatility. Carolina’s ability to throw all kinds of looks and alignments at opposing offenses has been a calling card of their early success.
Again, the broken foot to Horn didn’t help. And neither did the broken wrist to Myles Hartsfield, the strained groin to safety Juston Burris, the rolled ankle of defensive end Yetur Gross-Matos or whatever’s up with linebacker Shaq Thompson’s foot. Gilmore, though, should be a pretty nice bandaid.
Once he is ready to return off the Physically Unable to Perform list, which could be as soon as Week 7 against the New York Giants, Gilmore gives Snow an elite, solidified presence on the perimeter. That’ll allow the Panthers to confidently play him alongside Donte Jackson on the outside with A.J. Bouye manning the slot.
This’ll also help give Henderson an adequate amount of time to develop as a longer-term project while still being able to utilize the 2020 ninth overall pick as they choose.
Resourcefulness works
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When a big-name player such as Gilmore suddenly becomes available, almost never do you see the Panthers involved as a potential spot. It’s often the usual suspects—the Green Bay Packers, the Seattle Seahawks, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the New Orleans Saints and so on.
In fact, the early feel on Wednesday was that Green Bay was the favorite to land one of the game’s top cover men. But the work of Scott Fitterer gave Carolina the edge over the field.
Fitterer seemingly has had his nose to the proverbial grindstone ever since he stepped foot into his new office. He’s now completed a total of 13 trades since being hired as general manager back in January and turned a 5-11 roster into playoff contender.
His orchestration of the team’s salary cap space, however, is what got them Gilmore. Unlike Green Bay or any of the other challengers, the Panthers had a relative wealth of cash to work with—the second-most in the league, as a matter of fact.
Their willingness to take on the entirety Gilmore’s remaining contract in exchange for a pittance of a 2023 sixth-round pick is likely what appealed most to New England. That, folks, is how you get “in on every deal.”
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