Carolina Panthers just missed former All-Pro in free-agency bidding war

It turns out the Carolina Panthers were one of the teams in on free agent cornerback Stephon Gilmore.

Gilmore signed with the Minnesota Vikings over the weekend, but ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reported that the Panthers made an offer, only to get jumped by a Vikings offer that “came over the top strong.”

Those Panthers were likely interested for a number of reasons, but the chance starting corner Dane Jackson will miss a few weeks tops the list. Not far behind is Gilmore’s resume, which includes a Defensive Player of the Year honor (2019) and All-Pro nods.

It also probably doesn’t hurt that Gilmore spent some of 2021 with the Panthers, appearing in a handful of games after coming over via trade with the New England Patriots in exchange for a sixth-round pick. But he left that offseason, signing a two-year pact with the Indianapolis Colts.

There was some speculation earlier this offseason that the Panthers went hard after Gilmore, at least in part because Jadeveon Clowney talked about attempting to recruit him to the team.

Moving forward, the Panthers will continue to lean on Jackson when healthy, as well as Jaycee Horn and Troy Hill, among others. The report here, at least, confirms the team is still attempting to improve and Gilmore would have been a shrewd veteran signing for a rebuilding club.

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