Stephon Gilmore trade grades: Panthers boost secondary, land Patriots star for late-round draft pick

Who won the Gilmore trade?

It was reported on Wednesday that the New England Patriots would release star cornerback Stephon Gilmore unless a trade partner emerged. The NFL world thought Gilmore could find himself in Tampa playing alongside his former teammate Tom Brady, but an interested team did emerge hours before the release was to reportedly become official, as the Carolina Panthers sent a 2023 sixth-round pick to the Patriots in exchange for Gilmore.

The 2019 NFL Defensive Player of the Year is still recovering from a torn quad, and is not eligible to come off of the physically unable to perform list until Week 7. Still, the addition of Gilmore to Carolina's secondary is a good one. He's in the final year of his contract and was looking for additional financial compensation this offseason, but now with a new team, the Panthers will have to revisit that issue at some point down the road.

So, who won this trade and who lost it? There are a couple different facets of this transaction to dive into, so let's grade this deal.