MINNEAPOLIS — Super Bowl LII was special for Patriots cornerback Stephon Gilmore and Eagles receiver Alshon Jeffery.
The game marked the first Super Bowl for the close friends in their first seasons with their new teams. College friends from South Carolina, Jeffery was a groomsman in Gilmore’s wedding.
“Oh, it’s a good friendship,” Gilmore said. “It’s good seeing people.”
“It’s going to be exciting. I can’t wait,” Jeffery said, about facing his friend on Sunday.
Gilmore completed his only two passes in college to his wide receiver friend. A high school quarterback, Gilmore was a full-time cornerback at South Carolina, but coach Steve Spurrier did use his athleticism for trick plays. In 2009 against Clemson, Gilmore hit Jeffery for a 39-yard pass. A year later, Gilmore completed a 29-yard pass against Florida State to Jeffery again.
“I think it was a post route and a go route. I think I threw two pretty good balls,” Gilmore said.
“He couldn’t throw the ball,” Jeffery added. “He played quarterback in high school, and he couldn’t throw the ball.”
At 6-foot-1, Gilmore is the Patriots' tallest cornerback. It was likely he’d draw the 6-3 Jeffery as an assignment. This season, Gilmore started all 13 games he played with the Patriots and finished with 50 tackles, nine deflections and two interceptions. Jeffery is the Eagles top receiver and finished with 57 receptions, 789 yards and nine touchdowns.
“He’s a big guy, has a good catch radius,” Gilmore said. “He’s got a great talent around him. He makes plays.”
“He’s long. He plays physical. I look forward to the challenge. It’s going to be a tough one,” Jeffery added. “He’s a great player. He’s worked very hard at his technique. I know he studies a lot of film. He wants to be a competitor. He wants to be the best.”
Gilmore and Jeffery had never faced each other in an NFL game before Sunday. The two friends had plenty of battles in practice at South Carolina, but the one time their two NFL teams played each other, Gilmore was hurt. Last offseason, Jeffery signed with Philadelphia as a free agent and Gilmore did the same with the Patriots.
As fate would have it, they reunited at their first Super Bowl.
“We’ll go do whatever we can to help our team win,” Gilmore said. “I’m going to take that mindset, go in and play the best I can to help this team come out on top.”
Big Three to meet
The Patriots' season wrapped up on Super Bowl Sunday, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t business to handle this week. According to the NFL Network, a meeting will soon take place between Tom Brady, Bill Belichick and Robert Kraft to smooth out certain issues.
This season, Brady’s trainer and friend, Alex Guerrero, was banned from the team sideline on game days and team plane on road trips. That reportedly caused tension between Brady and Belichick.
It’s also expected that the Patriots will approach Brady about a contract extension/restructure. The quarterback has two years left on his deal, but his cap hit goes up to $22 million for the next two seasons.
"First of all, from everyone that I have spoken to, and I have talked to several sources involved in the situation, the belief is Bill Belichick will be back, Tom Brady will be back and of course Robert Kraft will be as well,” Ian Rapoport said Sunday on NFL Gameday Morning. “But things to work out include what to do about Alex Guerrero, Tom Brady’s trainer, how to get over some of the angst involving the trade of Jimmy Garoppolo — who is now about to sign a long-term deal with the 49ers — and then does Tom Brady get a contract extension? He has two more years left. They think he’s going to play two more years. Do they let him play it out, or do they try to get him to cash in one more time?
"All of those things they hope will be sorted out this week."
Brady appeared on the Westwood One pregame show with Jim Gray and proclaimed that he was indeed coming back for another season.
"Yeah, you’re going to see me playing football next year," Brady said. "I don’t envision not playing. You’re at the end of the race but you’ve got your biggest mountain to climb right at the end. Hopefully all the lessons we’ve learned have allowed us to be at our very best for this moment and that’s what it’s going to take and that’s what we’re prepared for and that’s what I go out and expect our team to do."
Branch inactive
Alan Branch’s season didn’t play out like many thought it would. After signing a two-year contract extension with the Patriots in the offseason, the defensive tackle ended the 2017 playoff run as a healthy scratch.
Prior to the team heading to U.S. Bank Stadium on Sunday afternoon, Branch was seen eating Panda Express at the Mall of America. There he told The Boston Globe he was disappointed that he would be inactive for the game.
Other inactives for the Patriots were Mike Gillislee, David Harris, Cole Croston, Kenny Britt, Jacob Hollister and Bernard Reedy.