Stephon Gilmore didn’t appreciate the way his New England Patriots tenure ended, but he appears to be on good terms with team owner Robert Kraft.
The former Patriots cornerback greeted and embraced Kraft before Sunday’s game against his new team, the Carolina Panthers. Gilmore also hugged Patriots president Jonathan Kraft before smiling and jogging away.
The Panthers shared a video of the on-field exchange, which, unfortunately, did not include audio.
Sunday’s game is Gilmore’s first against the Patriots since he was traded to Carolina for a 2023 sixth-round draft pick last month. The former NFL Defensive Player of the Year said this week he was unhappy with the way New England handled the quad injury that ended his 2020 season.
“I just didn’t like how they handled my situation with my injury,” Gilmore said in a conference call with New England reporters. “A lot went on with that that I didn’t agree with. And now that I’m here (in Carolina), I’m able to do the things that I have to do to get me back ready to where I need to be.”
Gilmore made his Panthers debut last Sunday, playing 17 defensive snaps and tallying an interception in a win over the Atlanta Falcons. Head coach Matt Rhule said he plans to use Gilmore mostly on third downs against New England.
“He’s really coming off that injury, so I think playing just on third down is really kind of where we are right now, and then as we move down the line in the weeks coming up, maybe that’ll continue to grow,” Rhule said. “It will just have to depend on how he does health-wise.”
