Former Defensive Player of the Year open to Patriots reunion

A former NFL Defensive Player of the Year is reportedly open to returning to New England.

Veteran cornerback Stephon Gilmore is considering all options in free agency and would be willing to play for the Patriots again, according to Karen Guregian of MassLive.com. However, the 33-year-old is hoping to re-sign with the Dallas Cowboys.

Wherever Gilmore ends up, it will likely be on a one-year contract because of his age. The Patriots have not gone on a free-agent spending spree and still had more than $55 million in salary cap space as of Tuesday, so they could afford to give Gilmore a short-term deal.

Gilmore spent the 2023 season with the Cowboys after they acquired him in an offseason trade with the Indianapolis Colts. He started all 17 games and played an important role after Trevon Diggs suffered a season-ending injury in Week 2. Gilmore finished with a career-high 68 tackles and two interceptions.

Gilmore was with the Patriots from 2017-20. He was named Defensive Player of the Year in 2019 and had two Pro Bowl and two first-team All-Pro selections in four seasons in New England. Gilmore has been named to the Pro Bowl five times in his career.