Two-time All-Pro cornerback and 2019 NFL AP Defensive Player of the Year Stephon Gilmore, who last played in 2024, has announced his retirement.
Gilmore issued an Instagram post Thursday that showed video highlights of his career and closed with the message, “The game ends here, but the journey continues.”
“To my first love, Football — As a young, scrappy kid from Rock Hill, South Carolina, with humble beginnings, the eldest of 6 — you gave me focus,
opportunity, strength, and friends to last a lifetime,” Gilmore said in the post. “From my first game with Finley Road Falcons to two Super Bowls, multiple Pro Bowls, and a Defensive Player of the Year Award, you taught me the invaluable lesson of working hard and believing in myself.”
Gilmore also thanked his wife and kids “for making it possible for me to chase my dreams” and his parents “for raising me to be the man I am today.”
The 35-year-old Gilmore was the defensive player of the year and had a league-leading six interceptions in 2019 with the New England Patriots. He also earned All-Pro honors in 2018 during a Super Bowl championship season with the Patriots.
He had 32 interceptions and was selected to five Pro Bowls during a 13-year career that included stints with the Buffalo Bills (2012-16), Patriots (2017-20), Carolina Panthers (2021), Indianapolis Colts (2022), Dallas Cowboys (2023) and Minnesota Vikings (2024). The Bills selected Gilmore out of South Carolina with the 10th overall pick in the 2012 draft.
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