Stephon Gilmore breaks silence on contract: ‘I just want what I’m worth’

New England Patriots cornerback Stephon Gilmore has shown how he feels about his contract, whether it’s his holdout from mandatory minicamp or his tweet about other players’ pay at his position. But he hadn’t addressed the contract dispute head on until Friday when he spoke with reporter Josina Anderson.

“I just want what I’m worth, however that plays out. Every player should be paid what they’re worth. That’s just how it is,” Gilmore told Anderson by phone. “Hopefully we can find some common ground & get it situated. I just know what I bring to the table and my style of play. Right now I’m just trying to focus on myself and make sure I’m good mentally & physically.”

Gilmore is due roughly $7 million in new money on the final year of his five-year, $65 million deal. Because the Patriots gave him a raise in 2020, his cap hit is the largest among New England’s players at $16.2 million. It’s unclear how the Patriots might restructure his deal — perhaps by extending it or by adding more money to 2021. But both sides expect to sit down before training camp to hash things out, per ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler.

New England could try to trade him, but his quad injury, suffered in 2020, could interfere with that. Could he be ready for training camp?

“We’ll see; if I need to be,” Gilmore told Anderson. “But I also don’t want to push it.”