When the Patriots posted this tribute to All-Pro defensive back Stephon Gilmore on Wednesday afternoon after what seemed like a morning that crammed a whole offseason’s worth of how-can-we-make-this-work HBO drama into about 10 hours, I can’t have been the only one who thought “4 years? No way that’s right....right??”
4 years seems wrong in both directions; it feels like Gilmore’s been locking it down in New England for way longer than that now, and it also feels like “4 years? it feels like you just got here yesterday!”
All the feels aside, however, Stephon Gilmore’s tenure as a New England Patriot ending as abruptly and (some would say) ingloriously as it did this week and the slow-burn surrounding his possible departure for the past year or so should always take a backseat to the following:
Stephon Gilmore, and all his accolades, awards, Pro Bowl recognitions, and yes, his Super Bowl ring, are as loud and proud of an example as we’ve seen in recent history of what happens when The Patriot Way actually goes off and delivers like it’s supposed to.