Stephon Gilmore may be available for a trade, but it’ll take a pretty penny to get him.

The Patriots are telling inquiring teams they want a first-round pick and a player back for the All-Pro cornerback, ESPN reported Tuesday.

Gilmore, who has another season left on his contract at a $17 million cap hit, has been the Patriots’ most talked about trade candidate ahead of Tuesday’s 4 p.m. deadline. The 30-year-old added fuel to the speculation last week when he put his house on the market, with the listing asking for final offers by 5 p.m. Tuesday — shortly after the deadline expires.

The defending AP Defensive Player of the Year sat out Sunday’s game against the Bills with a knee injury after missing a game earlier this season because of a bout with COVID-19.

The Patriots had previously shopped Gilmore twice, before the draft and during training camp, according to MMQB. Bill Belichick has made no secret recently about the cap crunch the 2-5 Patriots are facing this season after they had “sold out” to win three Super Bowls in the last six years.

A first-round pick, even for a player of Gilmore’s caliber, might be an expensive cost, but could be worth it for a team chasing a Super Bowl. Last year, the Rams traded two first-round picks and a fourth-round pick for cornerback Jalen Ramsey, who also had a year left on his contract but was four years younger than Gilmore.

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