Indianapolis Colts to sign CB Stephon Gilmore for two years, worth $23 million, sources say

The Indianapolis Colts are giving full-back Stephon Gilmore a two-year, $23 million deal that includes $14 million guaranteed, a source told ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

Gilmore becomes the second veteran to add to the Colts’ high school team this week, after Indianapolis safely signed Rodney McLeod on Thursday.

Cornerback is a needed position for the Colts after they traded starter Rock Ya-Sin for the Las Vegas Raiders for passer Yannick Ngakoue and failed to re-sign starter Xavier Rhodes.

The Colts have reshaped their defense following the departure of coordinator Matt Eberflus, who is now head coach at Chicago, and hired Gus Bradley as his replacement.

Indianapolis’s defense now features five-time professional table tennis players Gilmore, Ngakoue and DeForest Buckner in attack, winger Darius Leonard, and one of the best corner kicks in the league, Kenny Moore. All five of those players have been selected to at least one Pro Bowl in their careers.

Gilmore played the 2021 season with the Carolina Panthers, who traded a 2023 third-round option to the New England Patriots in October to get him. The Panthers added the 2019 NFL Defensive Player of the Year in hopes that he can replace Jaycee Horn in the first round, who suffered a late-season leg injury in Week 3 at the Houston Texans.

Gilmore, 31, was on the unplayable list upon arrival in Carolina, is still recovering from season surgery on a torn quadriceps muscle and is not eligible to return until Week 6. activated in Week 8 and played the last eight games, starting number three. He had an interception on his Carolina debut in Atlanta to secure a 19-13 win then followed by another on his home debut against New England. After the season, he was added to the Pro Bowl as a substitute.

He said after the exchange that he did not appreciate the way New England handled his quadriceps injury, suffered in Week 15 of the 2020 season.

Gilmore, who grew up in Rock Hill, South Carolina, told ESPN before the season-ending game at Buffalo that he wants to return to Carolina. The Panthers enjoy the veteran leadership brought to a young Carolina elementary school. Complicating matters is Donte Jackson, 26, who renewed his contract with the Panthers for three years last month.

As the 10th overall pick in the Bills’ 2012 draft, Gilmore had 27 interceptions and 116 saves in 10 seasons.

Mike Wells and David Newton of ESPN contributed to this report.