The Patriots Are Wasting Everybody's Time by Not Trading Stephon Gilmore

As much as New England Patriots fans don't want to admit it, their once grand empire is no more. A vast number of players left Foxborough, with Tom Brady being the biggest name on that list. Even with their losses on the depth chart, the team had no money to spend on the open market to effectively replace them thanks to a tight salary cap.

While head coach Bill Belichick will deny it, the Patriots are entering their first phase of the rebuild. The team is trying to win games with Jarrett Stidham and Brian Hoyer under center. Enough said. New England could've really expedited the process by trading away star cornerback Stephon Gilmore this offseason.

Gilmore is undoubtedly the best cornerback in the game right now. It's not even up for debate. This past season, the Patriots defensive back won Defensive Player of the Year after allowing just 51 receptions on 101 targets for 599 yards and zero touchdowns. He also had six interceptions, two of which were returned for touchdowns.

Look, we know the number one rule in sports is to never give up on talent. But when you're a Patriots team that's not even going to contend for the AFC East division in 2020, you have to get maximum value for your highest-paid player who won't be a single-handedly impacting games and getting the team wins. That starts by freeing up cap space and getting talent in return.

Gilmore signed a five-year, $65 million contract back in 2017, and paid immediate dividends. But the now-30-year-old corner is under contract for the next two years, and accounts for nearly $40 million in cap hits over that span. That's not ideal for the Patriots right now, especially with a significant needs on the offensive side of the ball.

The Patriots can still trade Gilmore this offseason, but the fact that they're waiting this long indicates they're trying to cling onto something that no longer exists.