4 former Panthers who could still re-sign with the team in 2022
By Dean Jones
Stephon Gilmore – Former Carolina Panthers CB
All signs probably point to the Carolina Panthers and Stephon Gilmore going their separate ways based on their activity in free agency so far. Those in power handed a bumper new deal to Donte Jackson, re-signed Rashaan Melvin, and also secured the services of Chris Westry from the Baltimore Ravens on a one-year deal.
Gilmore is still weighing up his options and has reportedly drawn interest from a number of teams with good chances of making deep postseason runs next season. The Buffalo Bills, Kansas City Chiefs, and Philadelphia Eagles are supposedly in the running, so it will be interesting to see where the productive All-Pro ends up next.
Don’t count the Panthers out just yet, however. General manager Scott Fitterer stated during recent media availability that he and Dan Morgan had dinner with Gilmore to discuss a possible return, although nothing concrete emerged despite the obvious benefits of keeping him around.
It took Gilmore time to get going thanks to a torn quad following his trade from the New England Patriots. He performed well when on the field and his coverage masterclass against Kyle Pitts was something that will live long in the memory.
Playing close to home is also something that Gilmore clearly loved. In an ideal world, this would be the case moving forward, but the NFL is rarely that simple.