The New England Patriots might have provided a gift for the Green Bay Packers, who still don’t know if All-Pro cornerback Jaire Alexander will be out long term.
The Patriots are releasing cornerback Stephon Gilmore, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.
Even if the Packers won’t have Alexander for only a part of this season, going after Gilmore makes all the sense in the world.
Gilmore is 31 and still recovering from a quad injury, but he’s one of the best cornerbacks in football when healthy. The Packers could see Gilmore as the perfect replacement short-term for Alexander and a massive long-term upgrade in 2021 at one of the game’s most important positions.
According to Mike Reiss of ESPN, the market for Gilmore is “expected to be robust.” Teams across the NFL are looking for help at the cornerback position, including several contenders.
The Packers have roughly $7 million in available cap space right now, and the team’s cap situation for 2022 and beyond is dicey, but a combination of signing bonus and voided years could make a big short-term contract work for Gilmore and the team.
The Packers are a Super Bowl contender, and there’s enough internal pressure – knowing this year could be it for several of the team’s top players – to push ahead with a real chase of Gilmore.
A cornerback group featuring Alexander, Gilmore, rookie Eric Stokes and even veteran Kevin King could be one of the NFL’s very best, especially once Alexander and Gilmore are fully healthy. And the coverage group would aid a pass-rushing group that might not get Za’Darius Smith back from injury this season.
Contenders make splash moves in-season all the time. The Packers rarely do, but this situation might be different.
The team is expected to update Alexander’s injury situation on Wednesday. Bad news is possible. But even if coach Matt LaFleur doesn’t have a positive update on Alexander, a new option for the team is available. Pursuing Gilmore now is something the Packers should do as contenders with an obvious question mark at a premium position.
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