On an otherwise quiet Thursday in the land of the Dallas Cowboys, news broke, from the man himself, that former cornerback Stephon Gilmore was retiring from the NFL. Gilmore will almost certainly have a bust in Canton, Ohio, in just a few years, and the Cowboys were a part of that journey.
Gilmore came to The Star later in his career, years after he was a Super Bowl champion with two first-team All-Pro nods and a Defensive Player of the Year award on his résumé. And although the cornerback in his early 30s felt like more name than value at the time, Dallas got great run from him.
He played all 17 games during the 2023 season, the lone year that he spent with the franchise, and continued his resurgence after an injury-prone 2021 campaign. Micah Parsons, another notable Cowboy who played with Gilmore had a touching message for the legend once he heard the news.
Former Dallas Cowboys star Micah Parsons' retirement tribute to Stephon Gilmore is beautiful
Parsons, as he infamously tends to do, took to social media after Gilmore announced his own retirement. But there were no antics or slights at Dallas this time, just a solid tribute to a great veteran he shared the field with.
"I’m blessed and honored to share the field with you," Parsons wrote. "You’re a great person and a better teammate. Your wisdom and humility are unmatched! Thank you, OG! "
Gilmore's year with the Cowboys was Parsons' third in the league, and the two anchored what was unequivocally the best Dallas defense in recent memory. The unit, aided by the NFL's top scoring offense, were top-five in both points and yards allowed that season.
Although not an All-Pro or Pro bowler, Gilmore was more than a solid contributor, as he pitched in two interceptions and 13 passes defended while racking up 68 tackles. More importantly, he was a great veteran for both DaRon Bland and Trevon Diggs to learn from.
On the edge, Parsons put together an All-Pro campaign, tallying career highs in sacks (14.0) and quarterback hits (33). Something tells me that having Gilmore in the secondary made quarterbacks second-guess a bit, giving Parsons more time to close in.
Seeing Parsons give Gilmore his flowers makes time feel like it is moving at warp speed. Parsons is now a Green Bay Packer, and Gilmore is hanging up his cleats. It wasn't that long ago that these two were menacing presences on the Cowboys' defense.
But life in the NFL does indeed move fast, and Dallas hopefully has the next great wave of defenders developing under Christian Parker.