Stephon Gilmore is skipping Patriots' minicamp as he seeks a new contract

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The NFL season wouldn't be approaching if a star player wasn't holding out for a new contract.

This year, it is New England Patriots star cornerback Stephon Gilmore, who has made it clear he won't be attending the team's mandatory minicamp in hopes of signing a new contract.

Gilmore is also in the middle of rehabbing from a partially torn quad as he enters the last year of a five-year, $65 million free-agent deal that he signed with the Patriots in 2017.

He is due a base salary of $7 million this season, which is well below market value for a corner of his caliber. 

In fact, if Gilmore were to enter the 2021 season under his current contract, he would be the 13th-highest paid player at his position in the NFL.

And if there is any cornerback in the NFL that is deserving of a new deal, it might very well be Gilmore.

Since his arrival in New England, Gilmore has played in two Super Bowls, winning one, while being named to the Pro Bowl three times and First-Team All-Pro twice. He led the NFL in interceptions in 2019 while also claiming the Defensive Player of the Year award that season.

While he is in the market for a new contract, Gilmore might find himself on the trading block.

But any team that trades for Gilmore will face a hefty price in more ways than one, which was described by Dan Graziano on ESPN's "Get Up."

"Teams that are interested in him know that he is not happy with the contract. So you probably have to give up something to get him and you probably have to give him a new contract. That makes teams reluctant to part with the kind of value that the Patriots are certainly wanting."

If Gilmore were to hit the market, there is reason to believe he would be highly sought after.

And there is already one player at his same position who is recruiting him, Los Angeles Rams All-Pro cornerback Jalen Ramsey.

The Gilmore saga is one of the key story's worth monitoring as the NFL calendar progresses, and where he plays this upcoming season could have major bearing on the 2021 season.

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