It was easy to wonder what the New England Patriots defense would have looked like when cornerback Stephon Gilmore returned from the physically unable to perform list in Week 6. Now all we can do is wonder.
Gilmore is headed to the Carolina Panthers after Bill Belichick traded the star cornerback on Wednesday. The Patriots announced they intended to release him, which stirred up trade interest, eventually netting a 2023 sixth-round pick for the 2019 Defensive Player of the Year.
It wasn’t totally unexpected, given the ongoing contract dispute between Gilmore and the Patriots. The final result, however, was fairly bizarre. We’ll explain why in our eight takeaways from this breakup.
