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Corner veteran Stephen Gilmore told CBS Sports’ Josina Anderson that he had agreed to a contract with the Indianapolis Colts as a free agency.
ESPN’s Adam Shefter said it was a two-year, $ 23 million deal with a guaranteed $ 14 million.
In 2019, Gilmore was named NFL Defender of the Year after leading the league in both six and six assists (20). The fact that he immediately became the subject of commercial rumors in the following off-season was a warning sign.
Gilmore was again a professional bowler in 2020, but appeared in only 11 games due to a knee injury and then a broken quadruple. His recovery from the latter prevented him from making his debut in 2021 until week 8, at which time the New England Patriots exchanged him for the Carolina Panthers.
The 31-year-old man expressed disappointment with the way the Patriots handled his rehabilitation. He told Joseph Arsletic’s Joseph Person that he believes “the organization does more training than rehabilitation, trains more as someone who is 100 percent healthy and out of season.”
After finally on the field for Carolina, Gilmore made an immediate impact. He had an interception in each of his first two appearances.
Carolina Panthers @Panthers
GILMOR CHOOSES MAC JONUS !!!
📺: CBS pic.twitter.com/q74N0fgvod
He finished with 16 rebounds, two interceptions and two interceptions in eight games.
Despite the setbacks he faced in 2020 and 2021, Gilmore was still one of the best defenders on the market during this off-season. He was No. 21 overall free agent on ESPN and No. 11 on Pro Football Focus.
“From 2017 to 2019, Gilmore was the best defender in the league, as he faced the best successors of the NFL in the system of interception of people in New England,” read his perspective for PFF. “The scheme fits and his age is the big question marks moving forward.”
Due to the unraveling of the Panthers season, it is a little difficult to judge Gilmore based on the time spent on the team. Carolina ended the year with a series of seven losses.
Now that he is at the wrong end of the aging curve, a return to his dominance with the Patriots may be too much to ask for. Injuries have also been a topic throughout his career. He has played all season only three times in 10 years.
Even if Gilmore is about 80 percent of what he was in 2019, he will be an effective addition to Indianapolis‘ second.
Xavier Rhodes left as a free agent, and Rock Ya-Sin was changed to Las Vegas Raiders for Yannick Ngakoue. Together, the couple launched 21 combined games in 2021.
Brandon Fasison’s signing was not enough to meet the obvious need for a corner for the Colts. This is a franchise looking to fight for the Super Bowl right now, as seen from the trade for 36-year-old Matt Ryan.
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