Bills FA CB Stephon Gilmore signs 5-year deal w/New England

[Ring 6]

Assuming everyone except Ryan stays, I would assume Gilmore and Butler are the starters in normal sets (obviously) and when we need a slot, Butler would play that with two bigger CB, Gilmore and Rowe on the outside.

Well we play nickel 85% of the time, with 3 corners being maybe 60% of that so we are talking about close to half the snaps when we need a slot.
That may lead to playing Cyrus jones in the nickel slot and keeping the 2 best corners outside. Rowe could be the odd man out here.

 

[VectorPrime]

I find it hard to believe that Butler wouldn't have jumped at an offer of 14 million per year.

 

[TB12TheGoat]

Josina Anderson?Verified account @JosinaAnderson 22m22 minutes ago



I'm told Stephon Gilmore didn't find out about the #Pats interest until this am. Plenty of change for the CB, w/ a new baby on the way too.

 

[PatsBoy12]

I hope he can regain the form that had many believing he was one of the rising stars at the position. I guess they feel Ryan is gone... which is pretty much what I think we all believe anyway.

 

[Marqui]

Why?

You disagreed with me last night and said it would be bad if the Patriots were aggressive in FA and spent like drunken sailors and overpaid for a player.

 

[IllegalContact]

Very nice move. Gilmore and Butler would make a very sound 1-2 combo in the back end.

for 1 year anyway

 

[PatsBoy12]

Best secondary in team history next season

I want to believe that, but 2003 and 2014 were damn good secondaries.

 

[manxman2601]

So Options:

1. We are partnering Gilmore and Butler this season.
2. We're trading Butler for Cooks
3. A team is making an offer on Butler and we're getting a first rounder.

All seem like pretty good options to me.

 

[Kdo5]

If im Malcolm Butlers agent i'm not playing a snap without a new contract if they're out paying Gilmore huge money.

Then he'd be an idiot. It's in his best interest to go and ball out again next season then cash in.

 

[PatsBoy12]

Nice upgrade from Ryan.

Only if he plays to his potential, which he did not last season... if so, then I agree completely.

 

[Love The Drake]

Not looking for Butler to leave but you have to wonder if he's getting an offer :

Butler for Cooks is why

 

[Jangles]

for 1 year anyway

Maybe

As another poster said, if I'm butlers agent I'm in holdout mode. As a fan it's easy to say the pats do things right, but as a player this would be beyond frustrating.

Butler deserves to get paid, and as much as I hate holdouts, I really couldn't blame the guy here

 

[billdog3484]

yes!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Minitron]

We also thought there would be another shoe with the Collins trade. There wasn't.

 

[Huckleberry1]

If im Malcolm Butlers agent i'm not playing a snap without a new contract if they're out paying Gilmore huge money.

Butler is already 27 and all he does by sitting out is push free agency back a season. He could report by week 10 but Belichick would probably sit him for the rest of the season and it would seriously hurt his value. They may be looking to trade him for Cooks straight up or they may just play hardball with him, it's hard to say right now. Either way Butler would be much wiser to play through his anger than to forfeit 4 million and a season.

 

[AtomicDawg]

Sadly, this is true.

 

[Ring 6]

You disagreed with me last night and said it would be bad if the Patriots were aggressive in FA and spent like drunken sailors and overpaid for a player.

One signing does not equal that. I was talking about a frenzy to sign players early, hence the drunken sailor reference.
Considering this makes it seem that butlers future is in question this is gilling a necessary spot at a not silly price.

 

[Tuck]

Fact.

True but a contender may feel it's worth it if it would weaken the Pats enough to tip the balance. Butler is pretty good after all.

 

[Kontradiction]

Maybe for only one year. Not to be a downer but can we really pay both after this season?

I think it depends on what they're going to guarantee Gilmore. I'm not in a position to answer that question right now, unfortunately.

 

[IllegalContact]

You disagreed with me last night and said it would be bad if the Patriots were aggressive in FA and spent like drunken sailors and overpaid for a player.

overreacts to everything