The Patriots have exploded in the NFL agency and they are quick out of the blocks by signing corner-back Stephen Gilmore on an impressive five-year, $65-million contract extension.
Gilmore is undoubtedly the No.1 corner-back money as the Patriots place a high value on a combination of press-man corner skills and player's overall maturity. It took that mix for them to manage such a high investment on a player at the open market outside of their system. This is quite rare for the Patriots to sign a player of this stature.
Gilmore is a tall corner-back who will be able to help defensive coordinator Matt Patricia's plans when the team will be attempting to match up some of the bigger receivers in NFL league. Signing Gilmore is an aggressive approach from the Patriots in all means and it will be great for their future.
However, Patriots' most significant loss is the expected departure of corner-back Malcolm Butler to the New Orleans Saints on Thursday. If the Saints manage to offer the contract sheet and sign him from the Patriots, it will be a tough blow to the latter team and a tough one for their fans to absorb despite signing one of the best in Gilmore.
Butler has been one of Patriots' own in just three years which is remarkable. Ofcourse, his Super Bowl saving interception is at the top of his remarkable achievements at the club. Patriots and Butler were close to a long-term extension last year but player's agent Derek Simpson revealed the club hasn't talked about that since last year.
With Gilmore as their significant signing, the Patriots won't be selecting any other player until the third round of the draft, No.72 overall. So, the club will explore more options to fill the gap possibly left by Butler, there has been speculation that quarter-back Jimmy Garoppolo will be in consideration but Patriots won't go down that road very easily.
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