Stephon Gilmore made a major impact in only four seasons with the Patriots. Maddie Meyer / Getty Images
By The Athletic NFL Staff
April 2, 2026Updated 4:32 pm EDT
Former New England Patriots star cornerback Stephon Gilmore announced his retirement on social media Thursday, ending a 13-year career highlighted by a Super Bowl title and a historic 2019 season that earned him Defensive Player of the Year honors.
Gilmore, 35, did not play in 2025 after bouncing around for one-year stints with the Carolina Panthers, Indianapolis Colts, Dallas Cowboys and Minnesota Vikings over the previous four seasons.
He spent his first five years with the Buffalo Bills, who drafted him with the 10th pick in 2012, before signing a free-agent contract with New England, where he was named to three Pro Bowls and earned consecutive first-team All-Pro selections in 2018 and 2019. Gilmore capped the 2018 season with the game-sealing interception of Jared Goff in Super Bowl 53, as the Patriots beat the Los Angeles Rams 13-3.
— The Gilly Lock (@BumpNrunGilm0re) April 2, 2026
The following season, he led the league in pass breakups (20) and tied for the lead with six interceptions, returning two for touchdowns, and was named Defensive Player of the Year. He became the first true cornerback to win the award since Deion Sanders in 1994 (Charles Woodson won it in 2009 while playing a combination of cornerback and safety; Pat Surtain II became the most recent cornerback to do so in 2024).
A five-time Pro Bowler, Gilmore finishes his career with 32 interceptions and 149 pass breakups in 180 games (173 starts).
Apr 2, 2026
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