Getty Stephon Gilmore #2 of the Minnesota Vikings.
Stephon Gilmore has been one of the league’s best cornerbacks, and he has the hardware to prove it. The Minnesota Vikings star is the last defensive back to win Defensive Player of the Year, taking the award home in 2019.
Gilmore takes the accomplishment very seriously.
He took exception with his former teammates and current Dallas Cowboys stars Micah Parsons and Trevon Diggs characterized his winning DPOY and set the record straight.
“If you really know the game then you know. I won DPOY because I had 6 picks AND I gave up virtually no yardage – all while TRAVELING,” Gilmore posted on X on October 11. “I had stats and changed the game more than any other position that year.”
Parsons has finished second, second, and third in DPOY voting in his career. Diggs plays primarily on the right side and has never cracked the final vote.
It was Diggs who most heavily scrutinized Gilmore’s 2019 win.
Cowboys’ Trevon Diggs Belittles Stephon Gilmore’s Defensive Player of the Year Win
GettyTrevon Diggs #7 of the Dallas Cowboys.
“Since Gilly, no one has won Defensive Player of the Year as a safety, a corner,” Parsons told Diggs on “The Edge” podcast on October 8. “I mean, you [Diggs] even had 11 interceptions in a year and didn’t win Do you think it’s possible? And [DaRon] Bland broke the pick-6 record and didn’t even come close in the polls.”
Diggs agreed with Parson’s sentiments and downplayed Gilmore’s accomplishment.
“That’s gotta change, bro. That’s not right,” Diggs said. “These are historic moments in history. In history of football. These are historic moments. We doing historic things. How … didn’t Bland win Defensive Player of the Year [in 2023]? No one has ever done that. That is history.
“That’s just crazy. I just feel like it’s biased towards y’all [pass rushers]. They don’t give us a chance. Even the year that Gilly had won it, I feel like Gilly only won it that year because – who was it got hurt or something? Someone that year got hurt, like a lineman that got hurt. I bet if the lineman was still playing he would have won.”
The Vikings star, Gilmore, was with the New England Patriots when he won the award in 2019. He led the NFL in 6 interceptions and 20 pass deflections.
He allowed 50.5% completion, tying for the sixth-best mark among all defenders to face at least 100 targets in a single season since 2018, per Stathead. His 599 yards allowed were the fewest among the 10-player group to face 100 targets in coverage in 2019.
He received 11 of 24 votes for midseason DPOY from NFL.com’s analyst voters in 2019.
Vikings CB Stephon Gilmore Was Mid-Season Favorite for DPOY in 2019
GettyStephon Gilmore #24 of the New England Patriots.
“The Patriots’ shutdown cornerback comes to play every week — often shadowing the opponent’s top receiver,” NFL Network’s Steve Smith wrote in October 2023, explaining being among the 11 voters for Gilmore. “Shutdown cornerbacks are hard to come by, but Gilmore has played arguably better than any other through the first half of the season.”
Gilmore ranked second in DPOY voting in The Ringer’s mid-season poll, behind only then-teammate Jamie Collins who started 15 of the 16 games he played that season. But ESPN’s Bill Barnwell also had Gilmore as his mid-season Defensive Player of the Year.
“The Patriots have no fear with putting Gilmore on anybody, regardless of how big or fast they are,” Barnell wrote in November 2023. “In return, Gilmore has delivered.”
“As valuable as it is to have a corner like Raiders-era Nnamdi Asomugha who wipes away one side of the field and allows a team to focus your coverage efforts elsewhere, it’s even more valuable when a player like Gilmore can both draw lots of targets and then erase those pass plays in the process.”
Barnwell had Gilmore beating out former Los Angeles Rams star Aaron Donald and Cameron Jordan of the New Orleans Saints – who both played 16 games – for the award. The Athletic staff gave Gilmore receiving 27 of 47 votes in their November poll.
San Francisco 49ers star Nick Bosa (16 games) took second place with six votes.
Gilmore beat former Arizona Cardinals edge Chandler Jones, Pittsburgh Steelers star T.J. Watt, and former Tama Bay Buccaneers pass rusher Shaquil Barrett in the final voting.
The Vikings signed Gilmore to a one-year, $7 million contract. It is a bargain for a player with his resume and he has been a key piece to the Vikings’ defense, which ranks fourth in scoring and leads the NFL with 16 interceptions.
Josh Buckhalter covers the NBA and NFL for Heavy.com. He has covered both leagues since 2016, including bylines at FanSided, Last Word on Sports and Clocker Sports. He's based in Villa Park, Illinois. Follow Josh on Twitter and Instagram: @JoshGBuck More about Josh Buckhalter
