Patriots deal top CB Gilmore to Carolina

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Stephon Gilmore is headed home.

The Panthers acquired veteran cornerback and 2019 NFL Defensive Player of the Year from the Patriots on Wednesday for a 2023 sixthround draft pick.

The move came after Gilmore and the Patriots failed to come to terms on a new contract.

Carolina has been looking to upgrade its cornerback position after losing first-round pick Jaycee Horn to a broken foot, which could keep him out for the remainder of the season. Last week, the Panthers acquired cornerback C.J. Henderson, the No. 9 pick in last year’s NFL draft, from the Jaguars.

Gilmore was raised in Rock Hill, S.C., about 26 miles from the Panthers’ current headquarters. He now lives in Waxhaw, N.C., three houses down from Carolina general manager Scott Fitterer.

“I think anytime you can get a [former] All-Pro player for a future sixth, we’re going to do it, right?” Panthers coach Matt Rhule said. “This was just one of those things where he it was too good to pass up. He’s too good of a player and he’s from here. … He just adds to the core of what we are.”

The four-time Pro Bowl cornerback confirmed his departure from New England earlier Wednesday in an Instagram post, saying the moments he shared with his teammates on and off the field over the past four seasons — including winning the Super Bowl following the 2018 season — “will never be forgotten.”

“It is with mixed emotions that I announce my goodbye to this great fan base,” Gilmore wrote. “We enjoyed so much success together and you have been an incredible inspiration for my individual achievements.”

Gilmore began the season on the physically unable to perform list after offseason quadriceps surgery. He is eligible to begin practicing again after Week 6.