The Arizona Cardinals missed out on a prime opportunity to acquire a big-time cornerback. New broke that the New England Patriots were going to release cornerback Stephon Gilmore. However, instead of releasing him, he was traded to the Carolina Panthers.
The cost? A 2023 sixth-round draft pick.
The Panthers are 3-1 so far this season and look very good. The Cardinals will take on the Panthers In November.
Gilmore is currently on PUP so is not able to play for at least two more weeks.
Gilmore is seeking a new contract. It is uncertain if the Panthers intend on extending his contract.
The Cardinals, who are relying on Byron Murphy, Robert Alford and rookie Marco Wilson, could have gotten one of the best cover cornerbacks in the league.
Instead, he goes to the Panthers.
He is due nearly $6 million in salary for the remainder of the season and the Cardinals have just shy of $4 million in cap space, according to the NFLPA salary cap report today, so the Cardinals would have had to move around some money.
However, as Kyle Odegard noted on Twitter, according to Football Outsiders, the Cardinals are third in pass defense.
Gilmore is 31 years old and also missed five games last season, but he is the sort of player who could be a game-changer for a team like Arizona.
We don’t know if the Cardinals were players in a potential trade, but as things stand, they missed out on a one-year rental for a guy who could put their defense over the top.
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