Cornerback Stephon Gilmore was aiming for $14 million per year. He got close; to make up the difference, he joins a perennial Super Bowl contender.
Per a source with knowledge of the deal, the Gilmore contract with the Patriots is worth $65 million over five years, an average of $13 million annually.
He receives a $18 million signing bonus, a fully-guaranteed 2017 base salary of $4.5 million, and a fully guaranteed 2018 base salary of $8.5 million. The contract has a $9.5 million base salary for 2019, $9 million of which is guaranteed for injury at signing. The guarantee felly vests on the third day of the 2019 league year.
The contract has non-guaranteed base salaries of $10.5 million in 2020 and $11.5 million in 2021. The remaining $2.5 million comes from per-game roster bonuses of $31,250 for each of the five years of the deal.
As a practical matter, it’s a two-year, $32 million deal with a team option for each year thereafter. Still, that’s much more money than the Patriots pay to players who haven’t previously played for the team.
It’s the most significant multi-year deal the Patriots have given to a free agent since linebacker Adalius Thomas, who signed a five-year, $35 million contract in 2007. Thomas was released after three seasons with the team.