Devin McCourty Sounds Confident Stephon Gilmore Will Play For Patriots

Veteran cornerback Stephon Gilmore has yet to make a decision on his future with the New England Patriots. Well, at least one of his teammates hopes to see Gilmore back on the field in 2021. Gilmore’s desire for a new deal has kept him away from mandatory minicamp. His future is hanging in the air.

Devin McCourty says Gilmore will be back on the field for the Patriots in the near future.

Stephon Gilmore to return with the Patriots in 2021

McCourty talked about this after Tuesday’s minicamp practice. He is confident that Gilmore and the team will resolve the contract issue.

“(He’s) obviously still fully part of this team,” McCourty said in a video conference. “A lot of guys have talked to him this offseason and keep in contact with him. I think, like always — obviously, it’s my 12th year in the league — you see things like this happen. It kind of works itself out on its own, and you kind of let the player worry about that. But I think as far as us as teammates and our defense with him in it, I’m excited for that just as much as anything.

“(Gilmore is) a guy that obviously, his season got cut short last year (by a partially torn quad in December), and he’s gonna be working hard to get back and get to that level of play that he’s been at the last couple of years, and I’m excited to see him do that. Obviously one of the hardest working guys I’ve been around. The Quiet Assassin is doing what he needs to do to be back out there playing good football.”

Gilmore is set to earn $7 million in 2021. This is less than the market value for someone like him. The veteran cornerback skipped OTAs and didn’t show up in the first two days of mandatory camp According to Patriots head coach Bill Belichick, Gilmore will sit out Wednesday’s minicamp finale.

Belichick didn’t say much about Gilmore’s role with the team, but that’s just him and his way of doing things. He doesn’t say much before the final decision.