The Seattle Seahawks finished their 2024 season with a 10-7 record and in second place in the NFC West behind the Los Angeles Rams. However, they didn’t qualify for the postseason, making it two years in a row that they were done after 17 weeks.
Part of the reason for their success in their first year under new head coach Mike Macdonald was the team’s performance on the defensive side of the ball, especially against the pass. They allowed the 12th-fewest yards through the air per game last season (332.7).
This offseason, Seattle had three cornerbacks hitting the market and while Artie Burns and Tre Brown found new homes, they made it a priority to bring Josh Jobe for the 2025 season.
If the Seahawks want to make the leap into the playoffs next year, they may want to continue adding to their secondary, and interestingly, ESPN’s Bill Barnwell recently named Seattle as a top landing spot for veteran cornerback Stephon Gilmore.
Gilmore, 34, played collegiately at South Carolina form 2009-11, earning All-SEC and All-American honors once before the Buffalo Bills selected him with the 10th pick in the first round of the 2012 NFL draft.
Buffalo made Gilmore a starter right away, and he rewarded them with some great play that included a Pro Bowl season in 2016.
The following year, Gilmore landed a five-year, $65 million deal with the New England Patriots. During his time with New England, he won a Super Bowl and a Defensive Player of the Year Award. He was also named a Pro Bowler three times and an All-Pro twice.
In the middle of the 2021 season, New England shipped Gilmore to the Carolina Panthers for a sixth-round pick (which became Kayshon Boutte). He finished that season with his hometown team and made his fifth Pro Bowl.
Since then, Gilmore has played for the Indianapolis Colts in 2022, the Dallas Cowboys in 2023 and the Minnesota Vikings in 2024.
Last year, Gilmore appeared in 15 games for the Vikings, playing 66.5% of the team’s defensive snaps and recording 56 tackles (one for a loss), nine passes defensed and one interception.
Pro Football Focus gave him a 63.9 overall grade for his performance in 2024, ranking him 94th out of 222 qualified NFL cornerbacks last season. He also earned a 58.8 pass-rush grade (71st), a 77.6 run-defense grade (27th) and a 60.4 coverage grade (117th).
At this point in his career, Gilmore probably won’t be in the running for another Defensive Player of the Year award, but he can definitely help Seattle’s defense and play meaningful snaps alongside Jobe and 2022 Pro Bowler Tariq Woolen.
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