Fitterer Says There's 'Ongoing Talks' with Stephon Gilmore
The Panthers shocked a lot of folks early in the 2021 season when they traded for CB Stephon Gilmore, one of the very best cornerbacks in the league. Carolina's cornerback room already consisted of Donte Jackson, A.J. Bouye, Rashaan Melvin, and C.J. Henderson, so to see the Panthers go after a high-caliber player and only have to give up a 6th round pick to do so was unthinkable.
Gilmore played in nine games for the Panthers in 2021 and was as good as advertised. Quarterbacks were hesitant to throw his way and when they did, they had very little success. allowing just 15 catches on the season.
Now, the Panthers have a big decision to make in regards to Gilmore's future. Do they bring him back to help mentor Jaycee Horn and C.J. Henderson? Or do they opt to go with the younger option, Donte Jackson, on a multi-year deal?
"We're going through that process as well. We have to see how that fits in," GM Scott Fitterer told reporters on Wednesday in Indianapolis. "We have Donte [Jackson] that is up as well. We made a move for C.J. Henderson last year to put us in a position so we're not panicking or not forcing something that's there. We'll stay in contact with him. There's ongoing talks."
Before Fitterer spoke to the media at the NFL Combine, Stephon Gilmore tweeted "Who would have thought" which had Panthers Twitter curious if this was in regards to his future with the team.
We may never know if this tweet has anything to do with the Panthers' decision, but Fitterer did say earlier this offseason that he would like to see both Jackson and Gilmore return.
"I'd love for them both to be here because I think they're both valuable players for us. Donte, I thought, had one of his best years in the NFL this year. Stephon is so smart and is so good for that room. He has a really special skill set. I don't know what those numbers are going to be yet but we'll work through that."
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