Seattle Seahawks: 3 free agent cornerbacks they should target
By Jake Luppino
CB Stephon Gilmore
The 2019 defensive player of the year, Stephon Gilmore, will be hitting the free agency market this offseason. Last season, many Seahawk fans wanted Seattle to deal for Gilmore before he was sent to Carolina for a 2023 6th round pick. Now, they have a chance to acquire him in free agency without giving up anything. The only problem is they will face a lot of competition as Gilmore has shown he can still play at a high level given his age.
Knowing that D.J. Reed can hold down the right side of the field, it is critically important for Seattle to acquire another player who is versatile at the very least. Stephon Gilmore has shown he is very capable of playing either side of the field as many times throughout his tenure in New England, he would follow the opposing team’s best receiver. At 31 years old, it wouldn’t be smart for the Seahawks to lock him up. But, it certainly wouldn’t hurt to offer him a 2-year contract, hovering around $23 million.
Stephon Gilmore’s strength is man-to-man coverage. That fits in perfectly with what Seattle will be looking to do as many are anticipating them to blitz way more. I know the age may scare some away. But, he just played in a heavy zone schemed defense in Carolina showing his skillset. Quite frankly, it isn’t ridiculous for an older player to hit their second stride later in their career. We just saw Casey Hayward play a key role in turning things around defensively for the Las Vegas Raiders.