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Veteran cornerback Stephon Gilmore told CBS Sports. Josina Anderson that he has agreed to a contract with the Indianapolis Colts in free agency.
ESPN’s Adam Scherter reported that it’s a two-year deal worth $23 million with a $14 million guarantee.
In 2019, Gilmore was named the NFL’s Defensive Player of the Year after leading the league in both interceptions (six) and pass breakups (20). That he was immediately the subject of trade rumors in the ensuing offseason was a red flag.
Gilmore was a Pro Bowler again in 2020, but only appeared in 11 games because of a knee injury and then a torn quadriceps. His recovery from the latter prevented him from making his 2021 debut until Week 8, when the New England Patriots had traded him to the Carolina Panthers.
The 31-year-old vented his frustration at how the Patriots were handling his rehab. He expressed to The Athletic’s Joseph Person how he thought the organization “workouts out more than rehab, trains more like someone who’s 100 percent healthy and in the offseason program.”
When he finally took the field for Carolina, Gilmore made an immediate impression. He had an interception in each of his first two appearances.
Carolina Panthers @Panthers
GILMORE STOPS MAC JONES!!!
📺: CBS pic.twitter.com/q74N0fgvod
He finished with 16 tackles, two interceptions and two pass breakups in eight games.
Despite the setbacks he experienced in 2020 and 2021, Gilmore was still one of the better cornerbacks out there this offseason. He was the No. 21 overall free agent at ESPN and No. 11 on Pro Football Focus.
“From 2017 to 2019, Gilmore was the top cornerback in the league while competing against the top receivers in the NFL in the New England man coverage system,” read his PFF outlook. “Schemafit and his age are the big question marks for the future.”
Due to the way the Panthers’ season has gone, it’s a bit difficult to judge Gilmore by his time on the team. Carolina ended the year on a seven-game losing streak.
Now that he’s at the wrong end of the aging curve, a return to his dominant streak with the Patriots might be asking too much. Injuries have also been an issue throughout his career. He’s only played a full season three times in 10 years.
Even though Gilmore is about 80 percent of what he was in 2019, he will be an effective addition to Indianapolis‘ secondary.
Xavier Rhodes left the team as a free agent and Rock Ya-Sin was traded from the Las Vegas Raiders to Yannick Ngakoue. Together, the pair started 2021 in 21 combined games.
The signing of Brandon Facyson didn’t go far enough to fill an apparent cornerback need for the Colts. This is a franchise about to be in contention for a Super Bowl, as evidenced by a trade for a 36-year-old Matt Ryan.