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FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – The New England Patriots release Pro Bowl cornerback Stephon Gilmore, a source telling ESPN’s Adam Schefter the parties could not agree on the terms of a restructured contract.
Gilmore said goodbye to Patriots fans in a tweeted statement Wednesday.
“We’ve had so much success together and you’ve been an incredible inspiration for my individual accomplishments,” Gilmore wrote. “… To Mr. Kraft, the coaches and the organization, thank you for providing me with this platform and allowing me to be part of greatness. lined up next to me every Sunday with a goal in mind. “
The Patriots were about $ 54,000 below the salary cap and will now end up with an additional $ 5.8 million in cap space. Gilmore had a base salary of $ 7 million in 2021 in the final season of his contract.
Gilmore was eligible to drop off the Physically Incapable of Play list after Week 6, and the 2019 NFL Defensive Player of the Year market is expected to be strong. Several teams should be interested and Gilmore is expected to recover from his quad injury in the coming weeks.
Gilmore, 31, will be remembered for, among other things, helping seal the Patriots’ Super Bowl LIII victory with an interception from Jared Goff late in the game.
Gilmore underwent surgery for a torn quad in December. He had been around the squad, attending daily meetings and attending home games, while publicly expressing his dissatisfaction with his contract.
He was playing on the five-year, $ 65 million contract he signed with the Patriots in 2017 as an unrestricted free agent. His base salary of $ 7 million this season is below market for a player of his caliber, but results from the team advancing him $ 5 million of his 2021 earnings during the 2020 season.
Gilmore had skipped the Patriots’ mandatory minicamp in June due to the contract. At one point, he tweeted a photo of the 10 highest paid NFL cornerbacks based on average annual salary – a list he was not on – and wrote: “Oh ok.”
“I just want what I’m worth no matter how it plays out. Every player should be paid for what they’re worth. That’s how it is,” Gilmore told NFL reporter Josina Anderson in July. “I hope we can find some common ground and locate it.”
The Patriots have JC Jackson and Jalen Mills as starting cornerbacks, with Jonathan Jones as the first option in the slot.
Joejuan Williams, a 2019 second-round pick from Vanderbilt, is fourth in the depths standings. The Patriots also acquired 2021 fifth-round pick Shaun Wade from the Baltimore Ravens in a trade in early September, but he has yet to be active in a game.
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