Saints: Trading for Stephon Gilmore would solve cornerback woes

Despite having a need for another cornerback, the New Orleans Saints didn’t do much to address the position this offseason. They spent a third-round pick on Paulson Adebo out of Stanford and he’ll likely be expected to fill a big role in the secondary as a rookie.

The Saints have made attempts to bring in a veteran corner. They’ve been linked to Richard Sherman, who is still a free agent, and have also brought in Dre Kirkpatrick for a visit (though he left without a deal).

While this scenario probably isn’t the likeliest, Stephon Gilmore would be the perfect addition to the Saints secondary. The team needs a veteran cornerback who can come in and make a difference and Gilmore would be just that.

Gilmore has failed to show up for the Patriots’ mandatory mini-camp, which, more often than not, is a way to indirectly tell their team they’re unhappy with their current contract. Gilmore has one year remaining on his initial five-year $65 million deal that he inked back in 2017 but it’s understandable why he might want more insurance from his team, as he’s been one of the best cornerbacks in the league over the last few years.

The Saints could desperately use Stephon Gilmore.

While this seems like a great idea on paper, the Saints don’t have a lot to barter with, especially for a corner who won Defensive Player of the Year just two seasons ago. Gilmore won’t come cheap and unfortunately, the Saints don’t have much draft capital or finances, which brings me to my next point.

Gilmore is clearly wanting a contract extension and if the Saints did shock the NFL world by trading for him, they’d be even deeper in cap hell than they already are.

All of this being said, it’s fun to speculate if New Orleans did throw their hat into the ring and trade for Gilmore. He’d immediately give them a lockdown corner across from Marshon Lattimore, who is slated to hit free agency after this year. The Saints could benefit greatly from Gilmore and that’s why they at least need to be connected to potentially trade for him.

All of that being said, the asking price for Gilmore’s services paired with the fact that he’s entering his age 31 season and it might not be a smart business move to acquire the Patriots cornerback, even as good as he’s been recently.