STEPHON Gilmore is enjoying leaving people shocked with his hot start at the Minnesota Vikings.
Gilmore, 34, has been one of the best defensive backs of the last decade in the National Football League.
Stephon Gilmore signed a one-year deal with the Minnesota Vikings this season[/caption]
Gilmore has achieved the sport’s ultimate high of winning a Super Bowl[/caption]
He signed a one-year deal with the Vikings worth $7 million on the eve of the 2024 campaign.
Five-time Pro Bowler Gilmore has already become a leader in Minnesota’s locker room.
Their 4-0 start to the season is no surprise to the star cornerback, and something he predicted when speaking to The Sun after Week 1.
“I try and lead by example,” Gilmore said.
“I’ve been playing a long time and a lot of guys look up to me.
“Everybody likes playing together as a team.”
That teamwork and determination has helped Minnesota race off to a perfect start in 2024.
“The sky is the limit,” Gilmore said after a Week 1 win at the New York Giants.
“There are a lot of good players on this team and know to play as a team so it’s going to be fun to shock some people.”
Gilmore played on the New England Patriots team that won the Super Bowl at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia in 2019.
The Patriots’ shut down defence held the Los Angeles Rams to just three points in that game.
It helped seal a sixth Super Bowl title for Tom Brady – his last with the Patriots before he won one more with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Minnesota’s next assignment sees them face another future Hall of Fame quarterback in Aaron Rodgers.
Gilmore’s Vikings head to London, England on Sunday to take on Rodgers and the Jets at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
The 34-year-old had plenty of battles with the Jets from his decade in the division with the Buffalo Bills and New England Patriots between 2012 and 2021.
London calling
The New York Jets and Minnesota Vikings will kick off the NFL’s annual run of London fixtures this weekend.
New York and Minnesota will clash at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Sunday October 6 at 2.30pm local time – 9.30am ET for fans back home in America.
It will be the first of three straight NFL Sundays that begin with an early game live from London.
The following week, Tottenham also plays host to the Jacksonville Jaguars against the Chicago Bears.
And on October 20, the Jags will head across town to Wembley Stadium to take on the New England Patriots.
And this Sunday’s game on the international stage represents a chance for the Vikings to send a massive statement by moving to 5-0.
“It’s going to be fun, New York have a great team and great talent,” Gilmore said.
“It’s a little different from when I was there but they always play hard.
“It was fun,” Gilmore recalled of his experience playing in London with the Bills against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
“A lot of different fans from different teams came to play football.
“Aaron Rodgers is a great quarterback – one of the best ever.
“It will be a great challenge, he can put the ball almost anywhere so you’ve got to play great against him and hope for a bad ball.”
Gilmore thinks the ‘sky is the limit’ for his Vikings team in 2024 after a hot start[/caption]
He won the Super Bowl with Bill Belichick’s New England Patriots in 2019[/caption]