5 potential destinations for Stephon Gilmore in 2022 free agency

Stephon Gilmore could join the San Francisco 49ers

Of all the potential destinations in this list, the San Francisco 49ers appear the least likely. However, this is a progressive young team that’s missed a stable role model in the secondary after deciding to let Richard Sherman leave last year.

Stephon Gilmore might be understated in terms of personality. But he leads by example and has already shown a keen willingness to pass on expertise to young Carolina Panthers players, with Jaycee Horn stating how much he’s helped with certain traits that coaches simply cannot teach.

If the Niners want to take the next step and make a deep playoff run, then looking at Gilmore to sure things up on the backend would be worth the risk. The South Carolina product perhaps has two or three good years left and San Francisco’s offense does a fantastic job of keeping their defense fresh by churning up the clock.

This is a small but important detail that cannot be overlooked. However, Gilmore appeared extremely happy to be playing closer to home after so many years away from his family, so perhaps a year or two in California is not in his mindset right now.

Hopefully, the Panthers can keep Gilmore around. The impact he’s made has been lasting and Phil Snow’s defense would be far worse off without the All-Pro on the roster.