The Patriots have traded cornerback Stephon Gilmore to the Carolina Panthers for a 2023 Sixth Round pick. News broke this morning that the Patriots were going to release Gilmore today. The team shopped Gilmore prior to releasing him and they found a willing trade partner in Carolina.

The Panthers needed a corner after they lost rookie cornerback Jaycee Horn two weeks ago for the season. By adding the former defensive player of the year, they add veteran presence that can solidify not only their secondary but their defense as a whole.

Another teams were interested in Gilmore, most notably the Green Bay Packers but Green Bay never made an offer which is odd considering the fact this could be their last Super Bowl run for a while.

The Patriots received the pick and some much needed cap space with Gilmore’s $5.8 million coming off the book. It is cap space they will use to sign Jaime Collins.

Trading your best player is always difficult but in the end, the two sides couldn’t reach an agreement in terms of a contract restructure so the Patriots decided to move.

As hard as that is to accept, it was the right move for the player and the organization.