What Jalen Ramsey's Contract Extension Means for Stephon Gilmore, Patriots

On Wednesday, cornerback Jalen Ramsey and the Los Angeles Rams agreed to a massive five-year, $105 million contract extension with $71.2 million in guarantees, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter. Ramsey's new extension makes him the first defensive back in NFL history to sign a deal worth $100+ million, and his guarantee figure is the highest ever given to a defensive back.

While this extension happened on the West Coast, the new deal for Ramsey impacts the New England Patriots across the country in a big way.

There are no worries for the Patriots when it comes to the defensive back market in 2020. However, Ramsey's market-setting extension could put New England in jeopardy of losing their top defensive back down the road.

In 2017, cornerback Stephon Gilmore signed a five-year, $75 million contract with the six-time Super Bowl champions. Simple math tells you that his contract expires in 2022, which means the 2021 season will be a contract year for Gilmore.

If you're Gilmore, who will enter the 2021 season at 31 years old, you'll probably be looking for an extension. The problem is, Gilmore will be negotiating with a team that A) doesn't like to pay aging veterans, and B) won't pay top-market price for any player, regardless of their position or talent.

Although Gilmore would be silly to ask for a top-market extension, especially now that Ramsey set the benchmark in that category and given Gilmore's age, asking for anywhere near it will be a tall task for New England to live up to, even with a projected $77 million in available cap space in 2021. Pair that with the fact that young players like J.C. Jackson are rising to elite status quickly in the Patriots secondary, and it's hard to imagine the 2019 Defensive Player of the Year will get what he's looking for from New England, which could lead to that marriage coming to an end.

It was hard to envision Gilmore staying with New England past 2021 before Ramsay signed his extension. But now Gilmore's tenure will the Patriots will almost definitely end after the 2021 season, if he isn't traded before then.

So while all eyes are currently on the Patriots' season opener against the Miami Dolphins on Sunday, a reset of the cornerback market Wednesday could significantly impact how long New England's secondary remains in "elite" status past 2020.

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