Former Defensive Player of the Year Stephon Gilmore is returning to Foxborough to retire as a member of the New England Patriots on Friday, according to ESPN's Mike Reiss.
Gilmore started his career with the Buffalo Bills and was with the organization until 2017. The Patriots picked up the star cornerback in free agency, and he went on to help lead the team to back-to-back Super Bowl appearances, including a Super Bowl win in 2018.
Gilmore will go down as one of the greatest Patriots defenders of all time.
He had his best season in 2019, when he was named by the Associated Press as the Defensive Player of the Year. In that season, He recorded six interceptions and 20 passes defended. He was targeted 101 times and allowed only 51 completions. Perhaps
even more impressive is the fact that he allowed zero touchdowns.
He would go on to play for the Patriots for a few more seasons before being traded in the middle of 2021 to the Carolina Panthers.
Just announced: CB @BumpNrunGilm0re is returning to Foxboro on Friday to officially retire as a Patriot.
— Mike Reiss (@MikeReiss) September 17, 2026
Gilmore's return is fitting as one of the most beloved Patriots players during his run with the team.
Through the highs and lows, he steadily remained a defensive game-changer for the team on the football field. Now, he can retire as a Patirot forever.
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This article originally appeared on Patriots Wire: Former Patriots legend returning to officially retire with the team
