One of the more notable cornerbacks who will become an unrestricted free agent in March is Stephon Gilmore, and Richard Sherman predicts that the former NFL Defensive Player of the Year winner may stay put in the NFC.
Sherman noted during his “The Richard Sherman Podcast” show on Pro Football Focus that he sees Gilmore will sign with either the San Francisco 49ers or Seattle Seahawks in the upcoming free agency period.
“The cornerback market is going to be interesting because of how people see Gilmore,” Sherman said. “Gilly's [Gilmore] been fantastic over his entire career. I look forward to seeing what market he ends up with. I expect him to go West Coast, either Seattle [Seahawks] or San Francisco [49ers] to scoop him up and him to thrive.”
Gilmore will become an unrestricted free agent for the second time in his career this March. He featured for the Carolina Panthers this past season after the New England Patriots opted to ship him off ahead of the NFL trade deadline. He took part in eight games over the campaign after he earned the green light to return to in-game action following his lengthy quad injury recovery process.
Spotrac does project a market value of $14.1 million per season for Gilmore, although it remains to be seen whether he will push to sign a multiyear deal or opt for a one-year agreement with a possible contending team.
The Seahawks and 49ers could end up having plenty of turnaround at the cornerback position in the coming offseason. The Seahawks will have two cornerbacks become unrestricted free agents in March, including D.J. Reed, who recorded the fourth-most snaps on defense within the team in the 2021 campaign with 1,000. More so, the Seahawks pass defense finished 31st in passing yards allowed per game this past season with a 265.5 average.
On the other hand, the 49ers are set to see four notable cornerbacks become unrestricted free agents, including veteran defensive back K’Wuan Williams. The 49ers had their share of injury issues on the defensive side of the ball over the course of the season, but still, their pass defense did finish regular season play ranking at sixth in passing yards allowed per game with a standout 206.5 average. However, the unit did go on to allow a 97.0 passer rating and 25 passing touchdowns over the campaign.
Overall, both the Seahawks and 49ers will have plenty of options open in the case that they each aim to completely rejuvenate their pass defense depth. Of course, the upcoming 2022 NFL Draft will feature multiple versatile defensive backs in the opening rounds, although the free agency period is set to have a multitude of available cornerbacks.
In the case that the Seahawks and 49ers aspire to not shell out a $10 million-plus average annual value deal to a veteran talent like Gilmore or any other top cornerback in the coming months, they may look for low-risk, high-reward deals instead. A reunion with impending free agent Sherman could be an option, while the likes of Philadelphia Eagles cornerback Steven Nelson or Indianapolis Colts cornerback Xavier Rhodes could also be viable, short-term possibilities as well for either team in the free agency period.
In short, the Seahawks and 49ers could very well end up seeing multiple new faces with their cornerback depth come Week 1 of the 2022 season.
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