Stephon Gilmore’s former Patriots teammates show him appreciation, but are looking forward to facing him

“I really enjoy going against great players and guys I look up to."

Stephon Gilmore's still playing at a high level with the Colts. Zach Bolinger/AP Photo

November 5, 2022

3 minutes to read

Stephon Gilmore’s five-year tenure in New England didn’t necessarily have a fairytale ending, but that isn’t stopping his former Patriots teammates from showing him some appreciation before his Colts team faces them on Sunday.

The All-Pro cornerback, who helped the Patriots win Super Bowl LIII in 2018 and won Defensive Player of the Year in 2019, left New England in October 2021 when he was traded to the Carolina Panthers. Gilmore didn’t play in a single game with the Patriots that season due to a quad injury he suffered the year before, though he was also in a contract dispute with the team that became public.

Patriots leading wide receiver Jakobi Meyers showed some appreciation for Gilmore, whom he played with for two-plus seasons.

“Steph is honestly one of my favorite players,” Meyers said Friday. “Like when I first got to the league, just watching film on him and just how he played, man. He’s a great player. I hate that he went through injury and everything that happened and that we don’t have him anymore, but I’m going to have fun going against him.”

When Meyers joined the Patriots in 2019, he was an undrafted free agent just looking to make the roster while Gilmore was arguably the game’s top corner. Three years later, Meyers has clearly made himself the Patriots’ top receiver and arguably one of the better receivers in the NFL. With Gilmore still playing at a high level, it’s possible that the star corner might be guarding Meyers a lot on Sunday, and the Patriots receiver is looking forward to the possibility.

“I really enjoy going against great players and guys I look up to,” Meyers said. “It’s like the A.I. (Allen Iverson)-[Michael] Jordan thing. I’m not saying either one of us compares to (that), you know what I mean? But everybody wants to go against somebody that they respect, so you can kind of earn their respect back. I’m looking forward to it.”

On the defensive side of the ball, cornerback Jonathan Jones is one of the few Patriots players that was on the team when Gilmore came to New England in 2017. While several people thought the Patriots would struggle to replace Gilmore, along with J.C. Jackson, at outside corner, Jones has made the transition from nickel to outside corner look seamless. He grades out as one of the best corners in the league on Pro Football Focus, and quarterbacks have a measly 70.4 passer rating when targeting him this season.

Jones gave some credit to Gilmore for his growth as a player in recent years. As a veteran, as he’s the elder voice in a Patriots’ cornerback room that has a pair of rookies.

“When he came here, he was a good veteran,” Jones said Thursday of playing with Gilmore. “He had to learn our system – some things, some tough roles. But just being a veteran, a good guy on and off the field, I learned a lot from him.”

Patriots quarterback Mac Jones only played with Gilmore for a few months and never took the field for a game with him. Still, he said that he learned a lot from the corner and still believes Gilmore’s playing at a high level.

“He looks great,” Jones said of Gilmore on Wednesday. “I think I was here with him just for a little bit. Obviously, he was injured and stuff. He looks great out there. He’s just a great cornerback. Still is. You can tell they’re putting him out there, and he’s locking down the guys for the most part. Just covering them one-on-one. Just doing his thing. He’s definitely still a premier cornerback.

“I have all the respect in the world for him and how he treated me when I was here young. Just some of the information he gave me in the training room, just at his locker. He’s definitely an all-time dude. Excited to go against him again here.”

Jones isn’t wrong to say that Gilmore’s still playing at a high level. Quarterbacks have completed 25 of their 46 passes (54.3 percent) when targeting Gilmore this season for 301 yards with no touchdowns and an interception with a 65.6 passer rating.

Gilmore is part of a Colts defensive unit that’s one of the better ones in the NFL, ranking ninth in overall defense and seventh in scoring defense. Gilmore and the Colts’ defense might have to step up on Sunday in order to secure a win against the Patriots, as the 3-4-1 team will start Sam Ehlinger at quarterback, who’ll be making just his second career start.