Bill Belichick denies knowing anything about Stephon Gilmore trade rumors
By Matt Dolloff, 985TheSportsHub.com
Trade rumors involving Patriots cornerback Stephon Gilmore continue to percolate as the Nov. 3 deadline approaches. But Bill Belichick wasn’t going to tip his hand on that, either way.
Asked about the rumors and whether he plans to have Gilmore on the Patriots’ roster past the NFL trade deadline, Belichick replied, “I don’t know anything about those.”
Belichick distanced himself from Patriots trade discussions in general during a video conference on Tuesday. He explained that it’s more Nick Caserio’s department to explore the market and discuss potential deals with other teams, with Belichick getting involved only when trade talks are advancing.
Bill Belichick denied knowing about the percolating Stephon Gilmore trade rumors. (David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports)
“That’s something that the communication on that really goes through the personnel department with Nick and his staff,” Belichick said. “I’d say, generally speaking, the coaches are pretty involved in their game preparations at this point in time until something becomes more of a realistic opportunity. So, we’ll kind of see how that goes. I don’t know. I really don’t have a good sense on that one way or the other. I’m sure that there’s some conversations out there. How close that would or wouldn’t be for us, I’m really not sure at this point.”
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Belichick has enough to worry about getting the 2-4 Patriots ready for a must-win game and a challenging matchup on the road against the AFC East rival Buffalo Bills. So it’s fair to assume that, if the Gilmore trade rumors are accurate, that he has yet to hear directly about it. But Belichick’s insight into his involvement (or lack thereof) in trade talks this week has certainly been interesting.
Matt Dolloff is a digital producer for 985TheSportsHub.com. Any opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those of 98.5 The Sports Hub, Beasley Media Group, or any subsidiaries. Have a news tip, question, or comment for Matt? Yell at him on Twitter @mattdolloff or send him a nasty email at [email protected].
