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.
(Spectrum News 1)
The Kansas City Chiefs signed Kaiir Elam on Thursday to provide some help at defensive back, where they traded 2023 All-Pro cornerback Trent McDuffie and lost fellow starter Jaylen Watson in free agency.
The 24-year-old Elam was the 23rd overall pick of the Buffalo Bills in the 2022 draft, but the former Florida star has largely failed to live up to expectations. He split last season between the Cowboys and Titans and has 114 tackles, two interceptions and three fumble recoveries in 19 starts and 43 games covering his first four seasons in the league.
The Chiefs announced the deal with Elam, but the terms were not immediately available.
Kansas City has veteran Kristian Fulton and youngsters Nohl Williams and Kevin Knowles on the roster. The addition of Elam takes some of the pressure off selecting a cornerback early in the draft, where the Chiefs have two first-round selections.