Report: Gilmore Not at Minicamp on Monday
As the New England Patriots opened their three-day, mandatory minicamp, one of their most prolific defensive players was not at Gillette Stadium on Monday.
Amid a great deal of speculation surrounding his attendance, cornerback Stephon Gilmore was not present Monday, as first reported by Jim McBride of the Boston Globe.
Gilmore, who already missed the voluntary portions of the workout program, is entering the final year of his five-year, $65 million contract, which he signed in 2017. He is scheduled to earn a base salary of $7 million in 2021.
He and the Patriots agreed to a restructure prior to the 2020 season that moved $4.5 million of the then-reigning Defensive Player of the Year’s 2021 salary to the current season. As a result, Gilmore is slated to make far less than market value for a player of his caliber.
So, the question remains: Might Gilmore be posturing for a contract negotiation that earns him a salary more commensurate to his caliber? Perhaps. Perhaps, no.
When asked about Gilmore’s attendance at minicamp during his Monday media teleconference, Patriots head coach Bill Belichick advised that inclement weather in New England has caused some "travel issues" with members of the team, but did not mention Gilmore specifically. Belichick further noted that he would expect to have a “pretty full roster” available for minicamp.
“We’re kind of scrambling to get things going this morning,” Belichick said. “We just did travel arrangements over the weekend, so not sure exactly how all of that worked out. We were close on a couple guys this morning, but we’ll catch up on that after we get done here and see where we’re at.”
While it is still possible that Gilmore may return Tuesday or Wednesday, NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo reported Monday morning that Gilmore might sit out the entirety of the three-day camp. Should he choose to do so, he might be subject to fines if his absence is not excused by the team.
