ESPN names Seahawks among top landing spots for former Defensive Player of the Year

Stephon Gilmore was a great cornerback in his time, but it's been a while since he was in his prime.

Jan 13, 2025; Glendale, AZ, USA; Minnesota Vikings cornerback Stephon Gilmore (2) against the Los Angeles Rams during an NFC wild card game at State Farm Stadium. | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

The Seattle Seahawks offense is still a work in progress, but defensively they look about as loaded as any team in the NFL going into 2025. At the top they have the game's best defensive playcaller in head coach Mike Macdonald, who has exceptional talents at all three levels of his defense. While they could probably roll with their current group for Week 1, one thing they might want to consider is adding another sure thing at cornerback, where you can never have too many quality options.

On that subject, they might be in the market for a big name. According to Bill Barnwell at ESPN, the Seahawks are among the best team fits for former Defensve Player of the Year Stephon Gilmore.

"The Vikings only signed Gilmore last offseason after they seemed to realize they didn't have enough at cornerback. He was more than worth their $7 million investment. I wouldn't be surprised if the same scenario happened this year, where a team that looks thin at cornerback and doesn't love what it sees from some of its young guys in camp goes after Gilmore as a plug-and-play solution over the summer."

Nov 3, 2024; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Vikings cornerback Stephon Gilmore (2) and linebacker Andrew Van Ginkel (43) and safety Camryn Bynum (24) react during the fourth quarter against the Indianapolis Colts at U.S. Bank Stadium. | Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images

At his best Gilmore totaled an incredible 40 pass breakups over two years (2018-2019) and peaked with a 44.1 passer rating allowed the year he won the DPOY award. Gilmore won't be posting numbers like that at this point in his career, but the Seahawks wouldn't need him to.

There is some logic here, especially since Seattle traded away the best depth boundary cornerback on the roster last year when they sent Mike Jackson to the Carolina Panthers. Adding a piece like Gilmore won't get them to the NFC Championship, but it would give them proven depth at a critical position. If either Josh Jobe or Riq Woolen go down with an injury, Gilmore would be as solid a replacement as you could reasonably ask for.

Other veteran free agent corners the Seahawks might consider at this spot include James Bradberry, Kendall Fuller and Rasul Douglas.

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