EXCLUSIVE: I'm Told Stephon Gilmore is on a Flight to Boston. I Can't Confirm He's Coming to Sign an Extension with the Patriots. But I AM Reporting He's Signing an Extension with the Patriots

You think the life of a Barstool writer is easy? All respect, meals and drinks on the house and attractive divorcees giving you the "I'll rock your world" eyes over their Cosmos? Well you'd better think again. It's a 24/7 grind, I tells ya. I'm trying to relax on Father's Day. I moved the TV from the kitchen out to the back deck at Stately Thornton Manor to have a premium beer and a cigar and enjoy the final round of the U.S. Open, when I get this photo from an internet friend explaining that his son is on a flight from Charlotte to Logan and met Stephon Gilmore. 

Along with these texts:

Now, there could be many, many explanations for this. Gilmore could just be coming to enjoy New England's many picturesque mountains, beaches and cultural centers. Perhaps he's just checking up on the house he put on the market before the trading deadline last year. Maybe I'm being played and this is one of the rare times someone lied on the internet. Perhaps this is not an authentic photo. Or possibly not an authentic Gilmore. It could be a Stephon Gilmore lookalike passing himself off in a heinous act of stolen Defensive POTY valor. Which would not be funny at all. 

If so, that would be a hell of a coincidence given the reporting from earlier today:

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Mike Reiss - Cornerback Stephon Gilmore didn’t report to mandatory minicamp, and while some holdouts can become acrimonious, my sense on Gilmore’s mindset is different. He seems to enjoy being a Patriot, is open to sticking around, and this was his least-expensive-but-most-decisive way of sparking more productive contract talks with the team, so he can feel better about being part of New England’s present and future.

So let's connect the dots and see what the drawing looks like. Gillmore's contract. which is in its final year at $7 million, is unacceptable for a player of his stature. Talks on a new deal/extension/restructure have maintained radio silence all offseason. He skips last week's minicamp. Bill Belichick tells the world he did not expect his No. 1 corner to be there. And now, on the day that one of the Patriots beat writers reports the situation is not acrimonious, a guy I trust texted me a photo of his son with Gilmore (or an amazingly accurate Gilmore doppelganger) sitting in first class on a flight from Charlotte to Boston. 

I'm no journalist, God knows. I've not been educated on the standards for when you can report a thing. I'm just a guy with cigar breath and a BAC of about .10 right now. But when I connect these dots I see a picture of one of the best cornerbacks of his generation playing many more years in New England. 

Stephon Gilmore is re-signing. You heard it here first. Give me credit for the scoop. 

And if it turns out I'm wrong, forget I ever mentioned it.