Stephon Gilmore at Buffalo Bills minicamp, but wants new contract

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. -- Borrowing a line from the now retired Marshawn Lynch, Buffalo Bills cornerback Stephon Gilmore tweeted on Monday when he returned to Buffalo for the first time this offseason, "I'm just here so I don't get fined."

Gilmore said he was a Lynch fan and that he was just joking around, but his contract squabble with the Bills is anything but a joke. The fifth-year cornerback and 2012 first-round draft choice has skipped all of Buffalo's offseason program as his agent and the Bills try to hammer out a long-term extension. Because the minicamp is mandatory, Gilmore reported rather than get fined.

"It's mandatory, that's why I came," said Gilmore, who is the only player on the team currently in a snit regarding his contract.

When the Bills picked up the fifth-year option, that prevented Gilmore from entering free agency in 2016, but it also guaranteed him a salary of $11 million this year. However, Gilmore is setting his sights a bit higher and he wants to be paid in the neighborhood of Janoris Jenkins and Josh Norman. The Giants signed Jenkins to a five-year, $62 million free-agent deal with $28 million guaranteed, and after the Panthers pulled the franchise tag off Norman, he entered free agency and the Redskins scooped him up for five years, and $75 million with a whopping $50 million guaranteed.

Gilmore didn't talk in specifics Tuesday after watching practice and then performing some individual drills with coaches after the workout was complete, but it seems he'd like to land somewhere in the middle of those deals in terms of guaranteed money.

"I'm not frustrated because I know what I can do on the field, my game speaks for itself," Gilmore said. "Those guys are great players, but I know what I can do, what I can do on the island making plays. When they got those deals it helped the cornerback market out a lot, so I'm looking forward to it. Whatever happens, if it's now, if it's later, my No. 1 priority is to prove myself on the field when it's time."

Head coach Rex Ryan values shutdown corners, so he's a little anxious about Gilmore's situation, though he's not upset with the player because this is what players do, and it's their right to try to pry as much money and security as they can from their employer.

"Any negotiation, all those types of things, that's him, that's on him," said Ryan. "I'm never going to interfere with that, that's not my job. Do I want him here? Of course. Obviously he's important; cornerbacks are hard to find."

Gilmore won't be on the field during this minicamp, though. He is coming back from shoulder surgery, which Ryan mentioned, but Gilmore said that isn't an issue anymore because he "feels good." Primarily, he's sitting out because he doesn't want to get hurt while negotiations are ongoing.

"One thing I know about Stephon, he's going to be in shape, he's going to be ready to roll, he's gonna do all that stuff," said Ryan. "He talks to the guys all the time, what we're putting in, all that, staying on top of that."

One of the players Gilmore has kept in regular contact with is fellow starting corner Ronald Darby. "You know, Gilmore's always missed," said Darby. "He's a leader, a vet, he taught me a lot coming in, but he's going to be back when it counts, so that's all that matters."

Gilmore was asked whether he would report on time to training camp at St. John Fisher College if his contract hasn't been finalized and he said he would, but he left the time frame dangling a bit. "I'm going to compete whenever I get there," he said. "I'm going to work on my craft in training camp, carry it over to the season, have a great year and see what happens."

If he were to miss any practices at training camp, he would be subject to fines, but he hopes it doesn't reach that point because he said he wants to stay with the Bills.

"I hope so, I would love that, but you never know in this game," he said. "You have to focus on yourself individually on the field and go from there. I have to do what's best for me."