Bill Belichick, Patriots ‘Don’t Expect’ Stephon Gilmore At Mandatory Minicamp

The New England Patriots are planning to complete their three-day mandatory minicamp without star cornerback Stephon Gilmore.

Patriots coach Bill Belichick confirmed Tuesday that Gilmore is not expected to participate in minicamp as he seeks a new contract.

“I don’t expect him to be here,” Belichick said. “We’ll just focus on the guys who are here.”

Gilmore is set to make just $7 million in salary this season, a bargain for a player of his caliber. The Patriots borrowed $4.5 million from Gilmore’s 2021 salary to give him a preseason raise last year.

The 2019 NFL Defensive Player of the Year skipped the first minicamp practice Monday after sitting out the entire voluntary portion of New England’s offseason program. Gilmore, who turns 31 in September, also is coming off a partially torn quad that sidelined him for the final two games of last season.

The Patriots can chose to fine Gilmore $93,085 if he misses all three minicamp practices without an excused absence.

Belichick wouldn’t say whether he expected tight end Jonnu Smith to practice Tuesday. Smith, who did not take part in voluntary organized team activities, appeared to suffer a hamstring injury on Day 1 of minicamp.

“We’ll see how it goes,” Belichick said. “Like a lot of guys, we’ll take a look at them before practice, see how they’re doing. (We have) probably six to 10 guys that fall in that category and take it day by day.”

Smith initially was scheduled to speak with reporters after Tuesday’s practice but was removed from the media schedule Tuesday morning.

The Patriots are scheduled to practice Tuesday and Wednesday before breaking for the summer.