Gilmore set to boost secondary
FOXBORO — With the offseason drama in the past, the Patriots now can focus on forging the best secondary in the NFL.
The Pats made a seismic signing at the dawn of free agency when they landed cornerback Stephon Gilmore with a five-year, $65 million contract. That addition, whether Bill Belichick anticipated it or not, caused a business rift between corner Malcolm Butler and the front office.
Now that Butler is back to work, having reported to Gillette Stadium on May 1 for the final seven weeks of the offseason workout program, the Patriots have their dream secondary intact as they prep to defend their Super Bowl title.
“It’s good but I look at it as every year it starts over,” Gilmore said. “You’ve got to prove yourself every year. That’s one thing that you have to go in and try to prove yourself every day and every year, so I’m looking forward to it.”
The Patriots essentially swapped out Logan Ryan for Gilmore, who’s been a top-tier corner since the Bills selected him with the 10th pick in the 2012 draft. As much as Ryan contributed here, there’s a reason why Gilmore’s contract is worth twice as much in total dollars.
The issue, however, was that it temporarily alienated Butler.
The Pats’ best cornerback over the past two seasons almost certainly would have signed an extension in the ballpark of $10 million annually, but the team never offered more than $7 million in average annual value, according to a source.
Though Butler’s frustration tempered, he still took a two-day visit with the Saints and agreed to the parameters of a four-year contract that was worth in excess of $50 million. But the deal was contingent on a trade. Strangely, the Saints were willing to break the bank for Butler, but they never came close to offering the Patriots a strong enough package of picks during the draft. So Butler is back. Maybe it’s just for this season. Maybe it’s for longer, as he certainly does have interest in a contract extension. Or maybe it’s dangerous to assume anything because of Belichick’s history of orchestrating shocking trades. Even if the last scenario can’t be dismissed, it’s not of the players’ concern. Gilmore can only think of the possibility of forming a top-tier 1-2 tandem.
“It’s going to be fun,” Gilmore said. “I know he’s a talented player, but I just try to stay in my lane and handle the things I can handle. It’s a competitive group so I’m looking forward to it. (Butler) just competes no matter what. He just competes to the end of the play. I mean, all the guys do in the secondary, so that’s one thing that stuck out to me.”
Eric Rowe and Cyrus Jones will compete for the third cornerback spot, while the Patriots’ top three safeties are again defined. Devin McCourty is the center fielder with Patrick Chung again matching up with tight ends. Duron Harmon will earn ample opportunities in the deep part of the field after getting the 11th most snaps on defense last season. That’s why the Patriots extended starting money (up to $20 million, four years) to Harmon.
Of course, the success of the secondary is always contingent upon the pass rush, and the Patriots retained their key pieces up front. So after seemingly upgrading the top-ranked scoring defense from 2016, the Pats have the personnel in place to be even stingier during their title defense.
“We just want to be the best team that we can be,” Gilmore said. “Whatever that goal is, whatever we’ve got to do to win games, that’s what we’ve got to do to help this team win.”