Minnesota Vikings cornerback Stephon Gilmore spent four seasons with the New England Patriots.
He earned three straight Pro Bowl trips (2018 through 2020) and won a Super Bowl after the 2018 season. But he missed crossing paths with current Patriots corner Christian Gonzalez by three seasons. Gonzalez has become one of the better young corners in the NFL.
Gilmore praised Gonzalez in a post X on October 6, calling the youngster “cold blooded” and urging him to “keep going.”
“That’s love,” Gonzalez said quoting Gilmore’s post. “Appreciate you.”
Gonzalez has allowed 50% completion on passes thrown in his coverage, per Pro Football Reference. That is the best mark among all defenders to face at least as many targets as he has (34) this season, per Stathead.
Gonzalez is part of a bend-but-don’t-break defense that ranks ninth in scoring but 24th in yards allowed through five weeks.
He has a chance to be the Patriots’ first Pro Bowl corner since J.C. Jackson in 2021.
Stephon Gilmore Adds Aaron Rodgers to Hall of Fame List in Vikings Win
Gilmore took a victory lap after the Vikings’ win over the New York Jets in Week 6. He got the game-winning interception, putting Jets QB Aaron Rodgers on a list that includes one Hall of Famer, Peyton Manning, and another player that will get in when he is first eligible, Tom Brady.
“Ok this a list I’ve picked off Brady Peyton and now Rodgers,” Gilmore said in a post on X on October 7.
“That boy Gilly Mo @BumpNrunGilm0re [fire emojis],” Gilmore’s former teammate with the Indianapolis Colts, linebacker Shaquille Leonard, said in his post along with a clip of the game-winning play on October 6.
Gilmore, who shared posts touting teammate Harrison Smith’s Hall of Fame trajectory, is allowing over 60% completion on the season. The pick of Rodgers was his first of 2024.
Still, Gilmore could be on a course for a gold jacket himself.
Stephon Gilmore’s Hall of Fame Case
Gilmore has a 62.63 score on Pro Football Reference’s Hall of Fame Monitor. The lowest-scoring defensive back to make it in is John Lynch, who played safety. Mel Renfro is the lowest-scoring cornerback, and he converted from safety five years into his career.
Gilmore is a five-time Pro Bowler, two-time All-Pro, the 2019 Defensive Player of the Year, and won the Super Bowl following the 2018 regular season.
For some, it is hardly a question about whether or not Gilmore deserves to be in the Hall.
“‘Gilly Lock’ is a clamp,” former Patriots defensive back Logan Ryan told the panel on “Good Morning Football” in May 2023. “This guy is special. For you to get a Defensive Player of the Year at DB, and be doing it at the level you’ve been doing it – on an island – that’s a first-ballot Hall of Famer.”
Gilmore’s ability to secure one side of the field for the Vikings makes his one-year, $7 million contract a bargain. His arrival was timely. The Vikings have dealt with myriad injuries at the position, including losing Mekhi Blackmon to a torn ACL.
