Patriots Insider Says Team Will Either Extend or Trade Defensive Player of the Year Stephon Gilmore

Is Bill Belichick really about to flip the entire NFL upside down?

The New England Patriots have already seen a plethora of star players walk in free agency. That unforeseen turnover appeared to be capped by the team cutting longtime kicker Stephen Gostkowski on Tuesday, further emphasizing that the Tom Brady Era was dead and buried.

Well, that may not be the case. Ben Volin of the Boston Globe believes that the Patriots will either extend or trade star cornerback Stephon Gilmore, who took home Defensive Player of the Year honors this past season.

Certainly doing something with Gilmore should be on the table, too -- either a new extension, or a trade. https://t.co/STxo5vMNgb
— Ben Volin (@BenVolin) March 25, 2020

This obviously confirms nothing, but we're not entirely sure what Belichick's plan is here.

As of this writing, New England has less than $2 million in cap space to work with, so the team is definitely keen on salvaging some money. Gilmore carries the highest cap hit on the Patriots in 2020 at $18.67 million, but trading him would imply that Belichick is seriously considering tearing it down and starting from scratch.

It's the only logical explanation. New England could save over $25 million in cap space by cutting or offloading expendable players like wideout Mohamed Sanu, safety Patrick Chung, and recently-tagged offensive lineman Joe Thuney. Why trade your best defensive player, who also just so happens to be the best CB in the NFL?

The most obvious moves: Trading or extending Thuney, or a paycut or release for Sanu. Hightower and Cannon also have contracts that can create cap space
— Ben Volin (@BenVolin) March 25, 2020

Either way, Volin expects the Patriots to make another flurry of roster transactions in the near future. In regards to Gilmore, it's anyone's guess as to if he holds a future in Foxborough, as the Pats appear to be contemplating anything and everything.