Stephon Gilmore grew up right near the North Carolina/South Carolina border, in Rock Hill, S.C., just about 30 minutes from the Carolina Panthers‘ home at Bank of America Stadium.
Unsurprisingly, the former South Carolina Gamecocks star grew up rooting for the Panthers. Now, after the team acquired him from the New England Patriots for just a sixth-round pick, he has the chance to live out a childhood dream.
“I always wanted to, growing up as a kid,” Gilmore said, via Panthers.com. “Some things you can’t control. But I always thought about it as a kid, and you always dreamed about it. But it happened, and I’m happy it happened.”
The price was right for the Panthers, who already have one of the NFL’s best defenses through a month of the season. The team could also be in a strong position to sign him to the long term extension he’s been seeking, after his deal expires this offseason.
Worth a read this morning https://t.co/88DjsUUuiG
— Carolina Panthers (@Panthers) October 8, 2021
Stephon Gilmore, a first-round pick by the Buffalo Bills in 2012, has been in the AFC East for his entire career. After the 2016 season, the Bills opted against re-signing the star cornerback, and he joined the New England Patriots, with whom he won a Super Bowl in 2018-19.
He cemented himself as one of the NFL’s best cornerbacks in New England, winning NFL Defensive Player of the Year in 2019, making his second-straight First-Team All-Pro and fourth Pro Bowl that year.
The ballhawking cornerback has 25 career interceptions and a pair of defensive touchdowns. He picked off a career high six passes in 2019.
The post Stephon Gilmore Says He ‘Always Dreamed About’ Playing For Panthers appeared first on The Spun.
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