Standout CB has ties to new Raiders’ staff
NFL teams can begin talking to free agents of other teams in 14 days and one name to consider in this community is standout cornerback Stephon Gilmore.
He will be one of the more intriguing free agents available. Gilmore was the NFL Defensive Player of the Year in 2019 and a two-time first-team All-Pro. However, he has missed a total of 13 games the past two seasons due to injury. Still, he is just 31 and he can still play at a high level.
There should be plenty of interest in him. The Raiders were rumored to be interested in a trade with the New England Patriots before he was sent to the Carolina Panthers during last season. Of course, there are big reasons to connect the dots to more interest from Las Vegas in free agency.
New Raiders general manager Dave Ziegler was in the Patriots’ front office when they signed him to a huge, five-year $65 million contract in free agency in 2017. Of course, new Raiders’ coach Josh McDaniels was in New England as well.
Here’s another connection to Gilmore and the Raiders. New secondary coach Jason Simmons was with him in Carolina in 2021.
The Raiders could use a veteran cornerback and Gilmore, 31, would fit in every way. The Raiders will likely look at other cornerbacks, but there are reasons to think this fit is possible.