Will Stephon Gilmore appear at Patriots' mandatory minicamp?
Stephon Gilmore is undoubtedly one of the New England Patriots best players. The 30-year-old is coming off a season-ending quad injury and hes entering the final year of his contract, which is set for $7 million in 2021. The former Defensive Player of the Year wont play for that low of a price and the Patriots still havent restructured his contract. Mandatory minicamp is upon us and Gilmores status for it is unknown at the moment. If he doesnt show up for the entire three-day session, Gilmore would be fined $93,085. ESPNs Mike Reiss wrote a column discussing Gilmores status and explained how players miss minicamp for leverage. For players seeking a sweetened contract, or who might be displeased with the pace of negotiations or with their situation with a team, staying away from mandatory minicamp is often a first leverage point of sorts  a way to let the team know there is an intention to dig in with negotiations. The reason for his contract being so low this season is because the Patriots moved $4.5 million of the 2021 contract into his deal for 2020. Gilmore was then worth $10.5 and it was to reward him for earning the prestigious defensive award the year prior. New Englands depth at cornerback currently consists of Gilmore, JC Jackson, Jonathan Jones, Jalen Mills, Joejuan Williams and Michael Jackson. With Jason McCourty off the team, losing Gilmore would create a huge hole in the secondary. All eyes will be on Gilmore over the next few days.