Patrick Mahomes wanted Stephon Gilmore on the Kansas City Chiefs. He didn’t have the power to make a trade, but he still reportedly touched on an “gray area” in NFL rules when he reached out to the former New England Patriots star.
On Thursday, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler published an extensive look at player-to-player recruitment around the league. With free agency approaching, it’s worth noting that it’s against NFL rules for a team to approach a player that’s on another franchise. But the players themselves? They’re free to recruit.
However, Fowler did highlight what he called a “gray area” in player recruitment: trades. According to Fowler, Mahomes reached out to Gilmore in 2021 when the Patriots were set to part ways with the star cornerback as he returned from injury. Gilmore told Fowler that he expected the team to trade or cut him, but didn’t expect the star quarterback to reach out to him.
“Mahomes gave me his number and we talked — the message was me coming here is a great situation for me,” Gilmore said to ESPN. “It’s always good to have those relationships around the league where you can talk ball or other things.”
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The Patriots ultimately dealt Gilmore to the NFC’s Carolina Panthers — instead of an AFC playoff rival like Kansas City. However, the message was enough of a hint for Gilmore to realize the Chiefs were interested.
So, where does that stand in terms of NFL “gray area?” Fowler talked to a league executive about another case where a player had been recruited by another player through an agent. That exec reportedly threatened to report the team if they were involved in those talks. However, Gilmore told Fowler that such talks were organic.
Gilmore wound up finishing the 2021 season in Carolina before joining the Indianapolis Colts in free agency this past season. He’s entering the second season of his two-year, $20 million contract with Indy.
Source: masslive.com
