After losing Jaire Alexander in June, Green Bay Packers supporters are now looking to a reshuffled cornerback room for solutions in 2025. Nate Hobbs signed with Green Bay in free agency and will likely start alongside Keisean Nixon in base defense. However, both have spent the majority of their careers in the spot, and the absence of consistent outside contribution is a source of concern.
The depth behind Hobbs and Nixon is not promising. Carrington Valentine is anticipated to be the third-string cornerback, taking some snaps in nickel formation. Meanwhile, Kalen King, Gregory Junior, Kamal Hadden, Isaiah Dunn, Johnathan Baldwin, and Tyron Herring will compete for a roster place in training camp and will most likely contribute on special teams.
The Packers are confidence in their current cornerbacks, but it wouldn’t hurt to look into additional options to strengthen the secondary before training camp. With that in mind, Packers Coverage’s Matthew Schmidt believes former New England Patriots and Minnesota Vikings cornerback Stephon Gilmore is the primary solution to strengthening Green Bay’s secondary.
“Gilmore may not be the same superstar who won the Defensive Player of the Year award back in 2019, but he still managed a productive campaign with the Minnesota Vikings last season, registering 56 tackles, an interception and nine passes defended,” according to Schmidt.
“For the second year in a row, the 34-year-old remains available well into the summer, with the veteran likely waiting for the right opportunity. “It’s hard to imagine a better fit than the Packers right now,” he said.
Gilmore signed a one-year, $7 million contract with the Vikings last season, which may serve as a starting point for Green Bay in future contract negotiations. According to Over The Cap, the Packers presently have more than $35 million in available cap space, indicating that they have the financial capacity to close a contract if they chose to pursue him.
Green Bay’s existing roster appears to have a high degree of confidence, making it doubtful that the Packers would actively pursue Gilmore. Aside from that, his profile is not consistent with what GM Brian Gutekunst normally looks for in free agents. Still, Gilmore would provide a veteran influence to a locker room that is expected to be among the league’s youngest once more.
