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New England Patriots News & Rumors

Packers Explored Stephon Gilmore Trade

October 6th, 2021 at 6:37pm CST by Sam Robinson

When it became known the Patriots were moving on from Stephon Gilmore, reports linked the All-Pro cornerback to the Packers. However, the Panthers instead made the move to land him.

The Packers did try to acquire Gilmore, according to ESPN.com’s Rob Demovsky, who notes the team explored ways to add his contract. Gilmore’s expiring deal has $5.8MM remaining this season; the Packers have just more than $7MM in cap space.

While the team could have afforded Gilmore, it would have been up against the cap. The Packers made contact with the Patriots once their desire to move on became known, per Demovsky, who adds the 10th-year corner wanted a monster extension to go with any trade. Considering how little the Patriots received for Gilmore without the extension requirement, this demand was quickly dropped. Gilmore, per SI.com’s Albert Breer, wanted to play for the Packers (video link via 98.5 The Sports Hub). But he ended up in Carolina, which has now acquired Gilmore and 2020 first-round corner C.J. Henderson.

Green Bay did make a move at corner Wednesday, signing Rasul Douglas off Arizona’s practice squad. The Packers have Jaire Alexander expected to miss at least Week 5, and it sounds like a longer absence is in play. Matt LaFleur said the team will try to avoid its top corner undergoing surgery “at all costs,” via Tom Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (on Twitter), but it remains to be seen when Alexander will be ready to return. Alexander suffered a shoulder injury late in the Packers’ Week 4 win over the Steelers. Shoulder surgery likely would end Alexander’s season and deal a huge blow to Green Bay’s Super Bowl aspirations.

With Alexander down and Gilmore now on the Panthers’ PUP list, Green Bay does have some depth on which to lean. The Pack drafted Eric Stokes in Round 1 and re-signed Kevin King. The team traded Josh Jackson straight up for Isaac Yiadom this summer and drafted Shemar Jean-Charles in the fifth round. Fourth-year defender Chandon Sullivan, however, saw his workload boosted after Alexander’s injury.

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 10/6/21

October 6th, 2021 at 6:16pm CST by Zachary Links

Today’s taxi squad moves:

Detroit Lions

Houston Texans

  • Signed: WR Damon Hazelton

New England Patriots

New Orleans Saints

Philadelphia Eagles

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

  • Signed: DL Willington Previlon

Minor NFL Transactions: 10/6/21

October 6th, 2021 at 5:36pm CST by Zachary Links

We’ll keep track of today’s minor moves here:

Arizona Cardinals

Cincinnati Bengals

Cleveland Browns

Detroit Lions

Green Bay Packers

Houston Texans

Miami Dolphins

New England Patriots

New Orleans Saints

New York Jets 

Patriots Sign Jamie Collins

October 6th, 2021 at 12:51pm CST by Zachary Links

The Patriots have officially signed Jamie Collins, according to agent David Canter (Twitter link). This marks the linebacker’s third stint in New England, where he’ll also reunite with longtime coach Matt Patricia. 

[RELATED: Patriots Trade Gilmore To Panthers]

The Lions cut Collins in late September when they couldn’t find a suitable trade for him. Clearly, his stock has cooled, but he’s just two years removed from a standout season with the Pats. He used that year as a springboard to a three-year, $30MM deal in free agency with the Lions under the Patricia-Bob Quinn power structure.

The Lions ate $11MM+ in dead money by cutting the soon-to-be 32-year-old — the Pats are going to be paying him a whole lot less. It was a similar story last time around — the Browns cut Collins after paying him big bucks; the Patriots brought him back on a cheap one-year pact.

Collins made the Pro Bowl in 2015 with 5.5 sacks and an NFL-high five fumbles for the Patriots. The Southern Miss product later turned in a seven-sack 2019. He’ll now try to turn back the clock with the Patriots, who traded Stephon Gilmore to the Panthers earlier today.

Patriots Trade Stephon Gilmore To Panthers

October 6th, 2021 at 12:30pm CST by Zachary Links

The Patriots have traded cornerback Stephon Gilmore to the Panthers. In exchange, the Panthers will send a 2023 sixth-rounder to New England. 

Gilmore was set to be released by the Patriots, but Bill Belichick & Co. managed to find a trade instead. The 31-year-old will now help replace first-round pick Jaycee Horn, who is out with a broken foot. Gilmore, the 2019 Associated Press NFL Defensive Player of the Year, now headlines a Panthers CB group with Donte Jackson, former top-10 pick C.J. Henderson, A.J. Bouye, and Rashaan Melvin.

Gilmore will be eligible to play after Week 6, pending the status of his quad injury. That means he could debut as soon as Week 7, when the Panthers face the Giants in New Jersey.

Gilmore spent his first five years with the Bills before moving on to the Patriots in 2017. He went on to win a ring with the Pats in 2018 and took his game to a whole new level in ’19, en route to DPOY honors. After notching a career-high six interceptions, Gilmore wanted a new contract to reflect his performance and the dramatic uptick in the CB market.

The Pats — in classic Belichick fashion — resisted. They’ll move forward with J.C. Jackson and Jalen Mills as their top two CBs with Jonathan Jones in the slot. They also have 2019 second-rounder Joejuan Williams in the mix, plus the recently-acquired Shaun Wade.

Now, Gilmore has a prime opportunity to shine with the 3-1 Panthers. Barring an extension, he’ll play out the remainder of his five-year, $65MM contract before testing free agency in the spring.

Patriots Still Shopping Stephon Gilmore?

October 6th, 2021 at 11:13am CST by Zachary Links

The Patriots are set to release Stephon Gilmore, but the move has yet to hit the league’s official transactions wire. Meanwhile, sources say the Patriots have leaked the news in a last-ditch effort to trade the cornerback (Twitter link via Albert Breer of The MMQB).

[RELATED: Patriots To Cut Stephon Gilmore]

“I am grateful to Stephon Gilmore for his significant contributions to the team,” head coach Bill Belichick said in a team-issued statement. “It was a privilege and pleasure to coach Steph, I appreciate him for the true professional and class act that he is and wish him all the best in the future. Following discussions over a long period of time, we mutually agreed to part ways today.”

Belichick’s statement indicates that it’s a done deal. However, as of this writing, Gilmore has not been formally released.

From a football-only perspective, tons of teams would love to add Gilmore. However, no one was willing to meet the Patriots’ asking price, given Gilmore’s desire for a new contract. From here, interested clubs might be inclined to wait until 4pm ET/3pm CT. Then again, they could also circumvent the bidding process by talking to Gilmore’s camp and sending some future draft compensation to New England.

Patriots To Cut Stephon Gilmore

October 6th, 2021 at 8:18am CST by Zachary Links

The Patriots are releasing cornerback Stephon Gilmore. The cornerback broke the news himself on social media, thanking the team for their time together. 

“It is with mixed emotions that I announce my goodbye to this great fan base. We enjoyed so much success together and you have been an incredible inspiration for my individual achievements. Thank you for supporting this Rock Hill kid and allowing him to achieve his NFL dreams,” Gilmore wrote (Twitter link). “To Mr. Kraft, the coaches, and the organization thank you for providing me with this platform and allowing me to be part of greatness. Most of all I want to thank my teammates who lined up next to me every Sunday with one goal in mind.”

Gilmore and the Patriots weren’t able to make progress in contract talks, but he was still expected to stick with the club for the rest of the season. To date, he’s been on the physically unable to perform list with a quadriceps injury. Per the league’s PUP rules, he could have been activated as soon as Week 7.

Gilmore has been with the Patriots since 2017 after spending his first five years with the Buffalo Bills. He was part of the Patriots’ Super Bowl championship team in 2018 and won the 2019 Defensive Player of the Year award in which he had a career-high six interceptions and two touchdowns that year.

At the time of signing, Gilmore was plenty happy with his five-year, $65MM contract. Since then, he’s performed as one of the league’s best cover men as the market advanced significantly. In terms of average annual value ($13MM), the deal had the 2019 Defensive Player of the Year outside of the top 10 for CBs.

Patriots, Jamie Collins Working On Deal

October 5th, 2021 at 4:45pm CST by Zachary Links

The Patriots are on the verge of reuniting with Jamie Collins. The linebacker will sign with New England this week to kick off his third stint with the club (Twitter link via Field Yates of ESPN.com). This deal is not quite final yet, per The Athletic’s Jeff Howe (on Twitter), but the sides are talking about a reunion.

Collins is expected to fly to New England on Wednesday morning, per Albert Breer of SI.com, who adds the team has made an offer to the veteran defender (Twitter link). Should Collins’ physical check out, it would seem he is set for his third stint with the Patriots. He is on track to reunite with Matt Patricia, who also trekked back to the Pats after being fired by the Lions.

The Lions cut Collins in late September when they couldn’t find a suitable trade for him. Clearly, his stock has cooled, but he’s just two years removed from a standout season with the Pats. He used that year as a springboard to a three-year, $30MM deal in free agency with the Lions under the Patricia-Bob Quinn power structure.

Collins was signed by the Lions’ old regime, so Dan Campbell opted for a youth movement instead. The Lions ate $11MM+ in dead money by cutting the soon-to-be 32-year-old; the Pats are getting him for a whole lot less. This is a similar development to Collins’ previous return to New England, which signed him shortly after the Browns cut bait on a big-ticket contract during the 2019 offseason.

Used as a hybrid player in New England, Collins made the Pro Bowl in 2015 with 5.5 sacks and an NFL-high five fumbles. The Southern Miss product later turned in a seven-sack 2019. And, just last year, he was credited with 101 tackles. In his limited two-game sample this season, Pro Football Focus rated him as a top-25 off-ball ‘backer.

Patriots DL Henry Anderson Done For Season

October 4th, 2021 at 5:46pm CST by Ben Levine

Henry Anderson‘s season has come to an end. The Patriots defensive lineman suffered a season-ending pectoral injury last night, reports NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo (via Twitter).

Anderson exited last night’s game with a chest injury and was immediately ruled out for the game, an indication that he suffered a serious blow. The veteran underwent an MRI this afternoon that confirmed the season-ending torn pectoral.

The 30-year-old joined the Patriots this past offseason on a two-year contract. After having started 21 games for the Jets between 2019 and 2020, Anderson played sparingly with his new squad through the first four games. The veteran only saw time on 35 defensive snaps, collecting three tackles.

Following three seasons with the Colts, Anderson was traded to the Jets in 2018 for a seventh-round pick. He proceeded to have a career year during his first season in New York, compiling seven sacks. That performance earned him a new three-year, $25MM extension from the organization, but he had a tough time living up to that contract. Despite appearing in 29 games (21 starts) for the Jets between 2019 and 2020, Anderson collected only 1.5 sacks.

Patriots To Activate WR N’Keal Harry

October 2nd, 2021 at 3:24pm CST by Sam Robinson

N’Keal Harry will begin his third season with the Patriots on Sunday. The team intends to activate the former first-round pick from IR, Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets.

Teams playing Sunday have until 4pm CT Saturday to arrange their Week 4 rosters, and Harry will soon be on New England’s. He missed the first three weeks of the season with a shoulder injury but will return after missing the minimum amount of time.

The Arizona State alum will return to a reconfigured Pats skill-position corps but one that has not yet found its footing. Offseason addition Nelson Agholor has just 110 receiving yards in three games, while New England’s new tight ends — Jonnu Smith and Hunter Henry — have also not been major factors in the passing game early. Former UDFA Jakobi Meyers leads the Patriots in receiving (176 yards).

Harry requested a trade this offseason, but the Pats did not move in that direction. The 6-foot-4 wideout has not panned out thus far, totaling 45 receptions for 414 yards in two seasons. Harry has also missed 14 games through two seasons and change due to injury. It is unclear what Harry’s role will be, but he represents another potential weapon for the team as Mac Jones‘ run begins.

The Pats also elevated linebacker Jahlani Tavai and defensive back Myles Bryant from their practice squad. New England picked up Tavai, a former Lions second-round pick, shortly after his late-summer Detroit exit.

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