Four Reasons Bills Don’t Want To Sign Stephon Gilmore Now

Dennis Moody

Oct 11, 2015; Nashville, TN, USA; Buffalo Bills cornerback Stephon Gilmore (24) breaks up a pass intended for Tennessee Titans wide receiver Justin Hunter (15) during the first half at Nissan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jim Brown-USA TODAY Sports

Feb 29, 2016; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Southern California Trojans defensive back Kevon Seymour goes through a workout drill during the 2016 NFL Scouting Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports

Four reasons the Bills don’t want to sign Stephon Gilmore yet.

Vic Carucci of The Buffalo News recently tweeted that the Bills are not planning to give star cornerback Stephon Gilmore “Josh Norman type money” which translates to $15 million a year.

Stephon Gilmore might want Josh Norman CB money, but the #Bills have no intention of giving it to him. BN Blitz: https://t.co/WJcOPEsYtW
— Vic Carucci (@viccarucci) June 17, 2016

The first reason why they may not want to throw all that money at Gilmore is rookie Kevon Seymour. Seymour is an interesting prospect because he showed a lot of talent but towards the end of his college career, he started to lose playing time. It was discovered in the offseason that he had issues with his eyesight and that has now been corrected.

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He lacked the proper depth perception to play the position appropriately and now that he can see clearly, he can convert many deflections into interceptions or missed tips into deflections. If by mid season he shows real promise as a potential starter one day, you can expect the Bills to let Gilmore walk and instead use Seymour who is a much cheaper option.

In addition to Seymour, Rex has also mentioned he is extremely impressed with Corey White. According to Joe Buscaglia of WKBW.com Rex said:

"“Actually another guy I have been really impressed with is Corey White. See number 30 out there and he has done a real nice job for us as well. So real fired up about him.”"

If White is able to show some real promise it’s basically the same thing as we wrote about Seymour above. He will be a cheaper option and Gilmore could be deemed expendable.

Next: Reason 2: Bills Aren't Looking to Sign Gilmore Because They Draft Well

Nov 9, 2014; Orchard Park, NY, USA; Buffalo Bills cornerback Leodis McKelvin (21) breaks up a pass to Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver A.J. Jenkins (15) during the first half at Ralph Wilson Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Timothy T. Ludwig-USA TODAY Sports

The Buffalo Bills have drafted defensive backs pretty well since 2008.

The Bills have been pretty good at drafting cornerbacks recently. Since 2008 they have taken the following defensive backs in the first through fourth rounds:

Leodis McKelvin (1st rd), Reggie Corner (4th rd), Jairus Byrd (2nd rd), Aaron Williams (2nd rd), Da’Norris Searcy (4th rd), Stephon Gilmore (1st rd), Ron Brooks (4th rd), Duke Williams (4th rd), Ross Cockrell (4th rd ), and Ronald Darby (2nd rd) according to ProFootballReference.com.

Out of those players, Ronald Darby and Stephon Gilmore have proven to be bonafide stars in the NFL as cornerbacks. Jairus Byrd and Aaron Williams both turned out to be very good safeties for the Bills.

Leodis McKelvin had some ups and downs but he was way more up than down. Fans tend to focus on the few big plays he let up, and the fumbles on special teams rather than on the many great plays he made for the team.

While Da’Norris Searcy, Ron Brooks, and Duke Williams have not been spectacular, all were fourth-round picks who played several years with the team which is not a bad return considering that many fourth round picks never pan out.

The only player who didn’t really work out was Ross Cockrell who only played one season for the team which also matches the total tackles that he had in seven games that year as a reserve player.

As you can see the Bills have been pretty successful in getting meaningful playing time out of their defensive back draft picks since 2008 and so it’s possible they could feel quite confident in their ability to scout and select players in the defensive backfield.

Next: Reason 3: Bills Don't Want to Sign Gilmore Because of Ronald Darby

Dec 13, 2015; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Buffalo Bills cornerback Ronald Darby (28) breaks the pass attempt of Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver Nelson Agholor (17) during the second half at Lincoln Financial Field. The Eagles won 23-20. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

Is Ronald Darby stopping Gilmore from getting his big pay day?

The Bills have another starting cornerback in second-year player Ronald Darby besides Gilmore. Darby deserved to win the defensive rookie of the year award last year, but Marcus Peters won because he had more interceptions despite also giving up way more touchdowns than Darby.

Darby proved to be one of the better corners in the league after just one season. He comes relatively cheap until 2018 when he is due a new contract. The Bills are aware that they are going to have to pay him a ton of money at that point the way cornerback salaries have trended.

If the Bills feel Darby is the one they want to be their star corner going forward they could easily conclude that Gilmore is not worth paying and they could let him walk.

That doesn’t mean they can’t have both. Look at when Rex Ryan was the coach of the Jets. He had Darrelle Revis and Antonio Cromartie, both with massive contracts, and he was happy as a clam. Rex’s multiple system puts a lot of pressure on his cornerbacks because he trusts them in man coverage while using his other players to mix up where the blitz is coming from.

He prefers to have as many talented cornerbacks as he can have. The issue is that it might not come down to what Rex prefers, if general manager Doug Whaley decides that he doesn’t have it in the budget to have both long-term.

Next: Reason 4: Is Tyrod Taylor Stopping Gilmore From Getting Paid?

Jan 3, 2016; Orchard Park, NY, USA; Buffalo Bills quarterback Tyrod Taylor (5) throws a pass under pressure by New York Jets defensive end Sheldon Richardson (91) during the second half at Ralph Wilson Stadium. Bills beat the Jets 22-17. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Hoffman-USA TODAY Sports

Could Tyrod Taylor possibly be the reason Gilmore is not getting paid?

No, it’s not what you’re thinking. I am not going to argue that because the Buffalo Bills are going to pay Tyrod Taylor that they can’t afford to pay Stephon Gilmore, although that is possible. Instead, I will offer an alternative take. What if the Bills were waiting to sign Gilmore, because they would like to do so at the same time as Taylor?

There is no question that despite Gilmore’s talent that if Tyrod has as good or a better season for the Bills this year that he is the more important player for the franchise going forward. The last thing the Bills want to do is sign Gilmore first and then not have as much flexibility with Taylor.

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The issue is that general manager Doug Whaley might want to wait until Tyrod proves himself further this season before offering a big multi-year deal to the quarterback. This leaves Gilmore waiting patiently (or not so patiently in all likelihood) for the Bills to move forward with Taylor before they get around to extending him.

The Bills could even sign both players around the same time using an updated contract with Gilmore, to lower his 2016 cap hit of $11.1 million while paying him more in subsequent years. This would give them more room under the cap this year to sign Tyrod Taylor to the mega contract he will receive if he performs as good or better than last year.

Next: Buddy Ryan: Legendary Coach Dies at Age 82

What do you think Bills fans? Will the Bills sign Stephon Gilmore? Are there any other reasons why they could be waiting?

Dennis Moody

Born in Long Island, New York. The youngest of ten kids with nine boys and one girl. Became a Bills fan at age 6 in 1989 to annoy all my older brothers who root for other AFC East teams. I've been a Bills addict ever since.