Recently retired lockdown cornerback Stephon Gilmore mentioned his aspirations going into retirement, especially when it came to playing for the Patriots.
Even bad teams need that one shutdown cornerback who can make a play when they really need them to. Luckily, during his time in New England, Stephon Gilmore was a part of some very good years as a Patriot.
Earlier this week, after spending the entirety of the 2025 season as a free agent, Gilmore announced his retirement from the NFL. The cornerback was taken 10th overall in the 2012 NFL Draft by the Buffalo Bills. He joined the Pats in 2017.
In four seasons with New England, Gilmore had made it to the Super Bowl twice. (LII and LIII).
In his third year with the team (2019), Gilmore was named AP Defensive Player of the Year. He earned first-team All-Pro honors in 2018 and 2019 and was named to the Pro Bowl in three of his four seasons.
Although his time in New England was short, as he was traded to the Carolina Panthers in 2021, Gilmore's stamp on Patriot lore was memorable. So much so that in ESPN Mike Reiss' report on Sunday, the cornerback has hinted at a Patriots Hall of Fame induction.
"I left it all out on the field," Gilmore said. "Hopefully, the red jacket, the gold jacket, that's the goal. My style of play, how I played—mostly a man corner, covered the best guy each and every week; not too many guys can do that week in and week out.
Although nobody will ever get a HOF induction like Tom Brady did, Gilmore indeed does deserve his flowers.
Let's also not forget that, despite Gilmore mentioning that he hopes to get a red jacket (Pats HOF), he also revealed his hope to be immortalized in Canton, Ohio, someday, as he mentioned a gold jacket.
The two plays that come to Gilmore's mind are the best of his career, quite frankly. Although many think his AFC Championship game tip against the Jaguars would have been his favorite, his actual one came a year later in Super Bowl LIII against the Rams.
"I think that was No. 2. The No. 1 would be the play in the Super Bowl [vs. the Rams] to clinch the game with an interception. But the play in the AFC championship was the harder play to make because he was running away from me. I kind of knew the play before it happened just from film study, but that was still harder."
Time will tell whether Robert Kraft gives the "ok" to induct Gilmore into the team's Hall of Fame, but let's be honest: it should be a no-brainer. Gilmore's best years were with the New England Patriots.
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