The New England Patriots are not a team that shies away from hiring former players as coaches on their staff, as we have seen specifically over the last few years. They already have Mike Vrabel in as the head coach, after Robert Kraft risked it all by hiring Jerod Mayo in 2024, and there is another opportunity to bring in another legendary name back to Foxborough in due time.
Although it would have been more beneficial to have him on the field playing for the team rather than coaching it, the newly retired Stephon Gilmore would be a massive addition to the Patriots' coaching staff to make the secondary even better.
There was hope he would be signed to a one-year deal to finish his career where he saw the most success, and that was something Gilmore even stated on numerous occasions he was interested in. But instead, Vrabel could add him to the staff when he's ready to take the next step in his career.
In fact, Gilmore has already made it clear that he's looking into that for his future, and there's no reason the Patriots shouldn't be interested.
When he's ready to step into a coaching role, the Patriots need to hire Stephon Gilmore
Speaking to ESPN's Mike Reiss last week, the 2019 Defensive Player of the Year discussed what he plans to do now that he's hung up his cleats, emphasizing his desire to spend more time with his wife and children.
He also spoke about some opportunities he's already considering, one of which is getting into coaching, and it's hard to overlook the impact he would have on the Patriots' cornerback room, especially since he already has a connection with Christian Gonzalez.
"Right now I'm enjoying time with the family. I want to get into scouting and have a couple opportunities there. And I kind of want to get into coaching, but I think I'm going to wait a little bit for that to be with my wife. I do a little real estate on the side, but just raising these kids and trying to get them on the right track and be successful."
Now imagine how his insight could be invaluable to the rest of the cornerback room, and even the entire secondary. That is something Vrabel shouldn't pass on.
That doesn't mean the current cornerbacks coach, Justin Hamilton, has done a poor job so far, as he was actually phenomenal in his first year in New England. However, if he rises in the ranks, or if there's an opportunity to add even an assistant cornerbacks coach, that would create a big chance to bring in Gilmore to make the staff even better.
Based on what he said, it doesn't appear that coaching is something in his immediate future, so it isn't something the Patriots have to worry about just yet. But when he is ready to get onto the sideline, there are plenty of reasons to bring Gilmore back home than there are to watch him coach somewhere else in the NFL.