Stephon Gilmore Lands Vikings Contract Worth Up to $10M After 1 Season with Cowboys

Stephon Gilmore's time with the Dallas Cowboys lasted just one season.

The veteran cornerback agreed to a one-year deal with the Minnesota Vikings, his agent Jason Chayut told ESPN's Adam Schefter on Sunday. The contract is worth up to $10 million with $7 million guaranteed.

ESPN's Jeremy Fowler reported the Carolina Panthers "also made an offer" to Gilmore but the Vikings "came over the top" with a strong contract to land the 33-year-old.

Dallas traded a fifth-round draft pick to the Indianapolis Colts for the cornerback ahead of the 2023 campaign. The trade meant a fourth new team in four years after he played for the New England Patriots in 2020, the Carolina Panthers in 2021 and the Colts in 2022.

He ended up playing a larger role than expected for the Cowboys since Trevon Diggs suffered a torn ACL. Gilmore appeared in all 17 games for the NFC East team and finished with 68 tackles, 13 passes defended, two interceptions and one forced fumble.

Yet the emergence of DaRon Bland and the expected return of Diggs meant there wasn't as much need for the Cowboys to bring Gilmore back in free agency.

What's more, Michael Gehlken of the Dallas Morning News reported after the team's playoff loss to the Green Bay Packers that the veteran was playing with a torn right labrum and needed offseason surgery.

Given the injury concerns, the cornerback depth and the fact Gilmore will be 34 years old for most of the 2024 campaign, it isn't surprising Dallas didn't bring him back.

But the Vikings jumped at the chance to add a defensive back with a resume that includes a Super Bowl title, the 2019 Defensive Player of the Year, five Pro Bowl selections and two First Team All-Pro nods.

While Gilmore likely isn't the same player who led the league with 20 passes defended and six interceptions as the Defensive Player of the Year in 2019 for the Patriots, he isn't far removed from his last Pro Bowl season in 2021 with the Panthers.

If nothing else, he can provide veteran leadership for a Minnesota team that will need better production from its secondary if it is going to bounce back from a 7-10 effort in 2023.

The Vikings were a mere 24th in the league in passing yards allowed per game last season, which is one reason they missed the playoffs. Gilmore has a proven track record and can help the unit improve on that total.