Bills GM Doug Whaley told WGR Sportsradio 550 on Wednesday that they now plan to shift their focus to signing CB Stephon Gilmore to a long-term extension now that they’ve signed QB Tyrod Taylor to a new contract.
“It allows us to put all of our focus on Stephon Gilmore,” said Whaley. “It gives us a chance to say we have one piece of the puzzle done. Let’s try to get another piece of the puzzle done. Let’s not forget the fact that we have high profile players and they’re going to command top dollars. So we’re going to have to try our best to get them done. Will we get it done? We hope so, but it’s going to be process just like Tyrod’s contract.”
A month ago, Ian Rapoport reported that Gilmore appears to be set to play out the final year of his rookie contract, as talks between the two parties haven’t made much progress.
Before that, Vic Carucci of the Buffalo News mentioned that the Bills have “no intention” of offering Gilmore $15 million per year in a new contract, which would be in line with what the Redskins paid to CB Josh Norman.
Ultimatley, Norman secured a five-year, $75-million from Washington. However, a big part of this was the fact that Norman was a free agent, which left him with more leverage and bidders.
Buffalo could end up using their franchise tag on Gilmore next year if they’re still unable to bridge the gap on a long-term deal. Doing so would cost the Bills in the range of around $12.5 – $13 million.
Gilmore, 25, was taken with the No. 10 overall pick by the Bills back in 2012. He played out his rookie contract, but the Bills elected to pick up his fifth-year option last year, which will pay him $11 million for the 2016 season.
In 2015, Gilmore appeared in 12 games and recorded 36 tackles, three interceptions, and 18 pass defenses for the Bills. Pro Football Focus has him rated as the No. 9 cornerback out of 111 qualifying players.
We’ll have more regarding a possible extension for Gilmore as the news is available.
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