Stephon Gilmore started the season on the physically unable to perform list following a torn quad surgery after the end of last season, but he’s still regarded as one of the best defensive players in the league.
He was the Defensive Player of the Year in 2019, has made first-team All-Pro honors two times and has been to four Pro Bowls. This dude is an absolute monster of a cornerback when healthy.
Yet here we are in a scenario where the New England Patriots not only couldn’t afford to keep him, but also literally just gave him away.
Gilmore has been traded to the Carolina Panthers for a 2023 6th-round pick. That’s all it took. A future 6th.
#Panthers acquire cornerback Stephon Gilmorehttps://t.co/D1Q7IMNXoB
— Carolina Panthers (@Panthers) October 6, 2021
NFL fans absolutely couldn’t believe it. And they also couldn’t believe their favorite teams didn’t get in on this.