Minnesota Vikings agree to 1-year contract with veteran cornerback Stephon Gilmore
FILE - Dallas Cowboys defensive back Stephon Gilmore during an NFL wild-card playoff football game, Jan. 14, 2024 in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Matt Patterson, file)
The Minnesota Vikings agreed to a one-year contract with Stephon Gilmore on Sunday, the fifth cornerback — and by far the most accomplished — the team has added since training camp began in an effort to bolster a vital position group.
Gilmore will get $7 million guaranteed on a deal that could be worth as much as $10 million, his agent Jason Chayut told ESPN. The 2019 AP NFL Defensive Player of the Year with New England and five-time Pro Bowl pick is joining his fifth team in five seasons.
With 31 interceptions in 165 career regular-season games, Gilmore is fourth among active players currently on a roster. He trails new teammate Harrison Smith (34), Tyrann Mathieu (33) and Tashaun Gipson (33). Patrick Peterson (36) and Marcus Peters (33) also have more career interceptions, but they’re still free agents. Smith was drafted by the Vikings in 2012 with the 29th overall pick, 19 spots after Gilmore was taken by Buffalo.
Gilmore, who turns 34 on Sept. 19, had been unsigned after playing for Dallas in 2023 and becoming a free agent. He hurt his shoulder in the final regular-season game and played through the injury during the Cowboys’ wild-card round loss in the playoffs, before undergoing surgery for a torn labrum.
Gilmore, a South Carolina native, played five years for the Bills before bolting for the rival Patriots in 2017. He won a Super Bowl with them in the 2018 season and spent four years there.
After leading the NFL with six interceptions and 20 passes defensed and earning his second straight All-Pro selection in 2019, Gilmore had his 2020 season derailed by a positive COVID-19 test and then a torn quadriceps. When the injury lingered through training camp the following summer, Gilmore landed on the physically unable to perform list and was eventually traded to Carolina.
He signed with Indianapolis in 2022 and enjoyed a renaissance season of sorts, before being traded to the Cowboys last year for a fifth-round draft pick. He was instrumental in helping Dallas minimize the absence of star cornerback Trevon Diggs after his torn ACL.
The Vikings could use a similar dose of his ability and leadership. Rookie cornerback Khyree Jackson died in a car crash last month, casting a pall over the season. Then cornerback Mekhi Blackmon, a 2023 third-round draft pick who was going to be a regular in the nickel defense, tore his ACL on the first day of practice.
Gilmore is the fifth cornerback the Vikings have added in the last month, previously signing Duke Shelley, Jacobi Francis and Fabian Moreau, and trading for Nahshon Wright. The Vikings also signed Bobby McCain, who has played both cornerback and safety in his career. Their biggest offseason move for the secondary came in the spring when they signed seven-year veteran Shaquill Griffin.
Griffin hurt a hamstring early in training camp and has been sidelined since, though he’s expected to be fine for the regular season. His absence has put Akayleb Evans with Byron Murphy Jr. with the first team, with Moreau frequently mixing in.
Assuming they’re healthy, the veterans Gilmore, Griffin and Murphy likely will be the top three cornerbacks with Evans, who started 15 games last season, also in the mix.
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