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If any part of the New England Patriot fanbase was hoping for a reunion with Stephon Gilmore, that ship has sailed. On Friday, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport reported the former Patriot and 2019 Defensive Player of the Year Stephon Gilmore is signing with the Indianapolis Colts on a two-year deal.
The Patriots traded Gilmore to the Carolina Panthers last season for a 2023 sixth-round pick after the 31-year-old held out for the first month of the 2021 regular season.
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Gilmore played eight games for the Panthers after rehabbing an injury and working to get himself in game shape. He started two games and had 2 interceptions. He was not a part of the early wave of free-agent signings and has instead had to wait into the spring to find his next NFL team.
After New England lost J.C. Jackson in free agency to the Los Angeles Chargers, the Patriots had a need at cornerback. After Gilmore wasn’t re-signed by the Panthers, there was speculation that he could potentially return to New England to play alongside the newly returned Malcolm Butler and former teammate Johnathon Jones.
We don’t know how deep the Patriots’ interest in bringing back Gilmore was, or if they had any interest at all, but it’s safe to say one of the franchise’s best corners in history won’t be back in Foxborough–at least as a teammate–any time soon, or perhaps ever again.
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In four years with the Patriots, Gilmore took on the toughest defensive assignments against the NFL;’s most elite wide receivers on a weekly basis. Over that time, he had 11 interceptions. He led the league in that category in 2019 with 6.
He missed just 8 games and helped New England win their most recent Super Bowl after his highly decorated 2019 season. Gilmore has made the Pro Bowl four years in a row and five times in total. He has 27 career interceptions and 2 first-team All-NFL honors. With just two or three more seasons at or near an elite level, he appears to be headed to the Hall of Fame.
The Colts will likely plug Gilmore in as a starter opposite Kenny Moore and in front of safeties Khari Willis and Rodney McLeod. Indy might also look to add depth or more pieces in the secondary in the NFL Draft. Gilmore marks the second now-former Patriots player to land with head coach Frank Reich and the Colts after valuable special-teamer Brandon King signed with Indy on April 13.
New England Still Has a Hole at CB
The Patriots still have to address their needs at corner. While Gilmore will not be among the solutions the team explores, it seems very likely they will turn to the NFL Draft for answers.
Bill Belichick and Co. currently have the No. 21 pick in the first round, but they are widely projected to trade out of that spot to one or two more selections in the Top 90 picks.
Still, players like Kyler Gordon, Trent McDuffie, Kaiir Elam, and Tariq Woolen are prospects mentioned as potential fits with the Patriots. It would not be a shock if one of those four is put into a position to start for New England in 2022.
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