Stephon Gilmore only needed to play two games with the Carolina Panthers before making a big play against his former team. The former NFL Defensive Player of the Year picked off a Mac Jones pass in the second quarter of Sunday’s Patriots-Panthers contest — his first game against the franchise he spent the past four seasons with.
Gilmore now has two interceptions in his first two games with the Panthers, who acquired him from the Patriots last month in exchange for a 2023 sixth-round pick. Gilmore’s tenure with New England ended rocky, making the interception a bit more satisfying in his return to Foxborough.
Gilmore suffered a quad injury in Week 15 of last season and had surgery in December. He missed all of the team’s offseason workouts and was placed on the Physically Unable To Perform list. He stayed on the PUP list prior to the start of the year, guaranteeing he’d miss the first six games. Gilmore never played another snap for the Patriots prior to the trade.
“I wasn’t ready at the beginning of training camp, I’m going to be completely honest with you,” Gilmore said earlier this week. “The only thing [was] I just didn’t like how they handled my situation with my injury. A lot went on with that that I didn’t agree with and now that I am here, I am able to do the things I need to do to get me back and be ready to where I need to be.
“I learned a lot there and got a lot of friends there, a lot of great coaches. I just didn’t like how they handled my situation with my injury.”
Gilmore has been off to a strong start with Carolina, as the Panthers cornerback clearly has some good football left in him.
