CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Carolina Panthers general manager Scott Fitterer lives three doors down from Stephon Gilmore in a rural area south of Charlotte. They occasionally ran into each other as late as July, when the then-New England Patriots cornerback was recovering from surgery on a partially torn quadriceps.
Never did they discuss being more than neighbors.
That ended on Wednesday when Fitterer sent a 2023 sixth-round pick to the Patriots for the four-time Pro Bowl selection from nearby Rock Hill, South Carolina.
The Patriots were prepared to release Gilmore at 4 p.