FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — Reigning NFL Defensive Player of the Year Stephon Gilmore received a $5 million raise from the New England Patriots leading into Sunday’s season opener against the Miami Dolphins, league sources tell ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
Gilmore was scheduled to earn a base salary of $10.5 million in 2020, but the club increased the salary to $15.5 million, sources said.
Gilmore can earn up to $17.5 million if incentives are reached.
This is the fourth year of the five-year, $65 million deal that Gilmore signed with the Patriots as a free agent in 2017. At the time, the contract was among the richest for a cornerback in the NFL.
The market has exploded since that point, prompting Gilmore’s raise.
Gilmore, who will turn 30 on Sept. 19, tied for the league lead with six interceptions last season, returning two of them for touchdowns. His 20 passes defended tied his career high. He became the first defensive back to win the Defensive Player of the Year award since Pittsburgh Steelers safety Troy Polamalu in 2010.
Gilmore spent the first five years of his career with the Buffalo Bills. He was a first-round draft choice in 2012 out of the University of South Carolina.
