Stephon Gilmore signed to a 5-year, $65 million contract with the New England Patriots that includes $31 million guaranteed and a signing bonus of $18 million in 2017. HC Bill Belichick named Gilmore the No. 1 starting CB alongside Malcolm Butler. He started in all 13 games he played in, and he finished the regular season with a career-high 50 combined tackles (47 solo), nine pass deflections, and 2 interceptions. In the AFC Championship Game, on fourth down, Blake Bortles threw a pass and Gilmore made the game-winning play by making the ball incomplete which helped the Patriots go to Super Bowl 52, but they sadly lost. In 2018, he started all 16 games, finishing the regular season 2nd in the league with 20 passes defended. He was named to his 1st Pro Bowl with the Patriots and 2nd overall, was named First-Team All-Pro, and was the highest graded CB in the league by Pro Football Focus. In the Divisional Round against the Chargers, Gilmore recorded a team high 2 pass deflections and intercepted a pass from Philip Rivers in the Patriots win. In Super Bowl 53 against the Rams, Gilmore intercepted a 4th quarter throw from Jared Goff to get his first Super Bowl win. In 2019, Gilmore finished the regular season with 53 tackles, 20 passes defended, and a league-leading 6 interceptions, two of which were returned for touchdowns. He was named to the Pro Bowl and First-Team All-Pro. He was awarded the Associated Press NFL Defensive Player of the Year Award in recognition of his excellent season. He was the first member of the Patriots and the 1st CB since Charles Woodson in 2009 to win the award. In Week 1 of 2020, he intercepted Ryan Fitzpatrick to get his first interception of the season and last as a Patriot. He finished the season with 37 tackles, 3 passes defended, and 1 interception through 11 games. He was a Pro Bowler, which I think deserved to J.C. Jackson, as Gilmore struggled with injuries, which made him not being able to play the start of the season, and then the Patriots released him after 4 years. He was "traded" to Carolina, in exchange for a sixth-round pick in the 2023 NFL Draft. I really appreciate and enjoyed him playing for us and I hope he plays great in Carolina.
