The Buffalo Bills have declined to use the franchise tag on their top cornerback Stephon Gilmore, which would’ve paid him $14.2 million for the 2017 season in order to keep the former 10th overall pick on the Bills roster for at least another year.

Now, it appears Gilmore will be testing the free agent market to seek out the big money deal he’s been demanding since last training camp.

According to multiple sources via Pro Football Talk, Gilmore will be looking to exceed the deal Janoris Jenkins scored on the open market last offseason (five-year, $62.5 million), and it’s quite possible he could be looking to match or exceed Richard Sherman’s contract (four-year, $56 million).

Annually, that would cost potential suitors around $14 million per season. With Washington Redskins cornerback Josh Norman inflating the market last offseason (five-year, $75 million), the price for borderline great-to-elite cornerbacks will be on the rise thanks to the rapid growth of the salary cap. Other free agent cornerbacks who will benefit from these factors are A.J. Bouye, Logan Ryan and Dre Kirkpatrick.

While Gilmore has flashed the ability of a shutdown cornerback, the inconsistencies have plagued his career. Standing 6-foot-1 with 4.4 speed, Gilmore possesses rare physical tools that are coveted in today’s NFL, which will persuade a lot of NFL teams to throw boatloads of cash at him once free agency commences.

With limited cap space, a ton of needs and 24 unrestricted free agents on the dock, the Bills may have no other choice but to let their No. 1 cornerback pursue greener (literally) pastures in free agency.