Former Panthers CB Stephon Gilmore still waiting on ‘right opportunity’ in free agency

Ex-Panthers CB Stephon Gilmore on his free agency: “I’m just being patient and waiting for the right opportunity.”

Tom Brady’s Patriots Hall of Fame induction played host to a who’s who of NFL greats, including a former Carolina Panther.

Free-agent cornerback Stephon Gilmore, a teammate of Brady’s from 2017 to 2019, was on hand for the occasion in Foxborough this past week. The 33-year-old was asked if he’d be interested in making a return to New England.

“You never know. I’ll weigh any options,” Gilmore said, via Nick O’Malley of MassLive.“This is a place that I played great ball, so just letting it play out how it’s gonna be.”

After being named the NFL’s Defensive Player of the Year as a Patriot in 2019, Gilmore would then be traded to the Panthers in the middle of the 2020 campaign. The Rock Hill, S.C. native played nine games for his hometown team, a tenure that resulted in his fifth career Pro Bowl selection.

Gilmore has also been linked back to Carolina this offseason. But the latest on that potential reunion, according to Joe Person of The Athletic, is that there was “no movement” on a deal as of five weeks ago.

So until one is reached with somebody, the outlook remains the same for Gilmore.

“Being patient right now,” he said. “I feel good, Year 13, been playing a long time. So I’m just being patient and waiting for the right opportunity.”

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