As a coveted free agent, veteran cornerback Stephon Gilmore had a few different suitors. Though he’ll more than likely never go on the record with the full list of potential landing spots, Gilmore confirmed that the Vikings weren’t alone in their interest.

“There were two or three other teams,” Gilmore said. “Ultimately, this felt right to come here.”

Minnesota Vikings cornerback Stephon Gilmore speaks with reporters after his first practice with the team Monday, Aug. 19, 2024, in Eagan, Minn. (AP Photo/Dave Campbell)

After taking a visit to Minnesota last week, Gilmore left without a deal, taking a few days to mull over his decision. As impressed as he was by the presentation, Gilmore wanted to talk things over with his family before he put pen to paper.

The conversation went well and on Monday morning Gilmore, who turns 34 years old next month, officially signed with the Vikings. He was at practice a few hours later wearing a No. 23 jersey.

“This is a great place to play football,” Gilmore said. “It’s going to be fun.”

It raises the question: What set the Vikings apart from everybody else?

There were a number of factors that Gilmore considered, and while money played a big role as he reportedly signed a one-year contract that could be worth up to $10 million, it wasn’t the only thing on his mind when he was deciding what was best for him.

The most obvious was Gilmore’s prior relationship with defensive coordinator Brian Flores. After spending time together with the New England Patriots in the past, Gilmore has long admired the creativity with which Flores deploys his players on defense.

“I think offenses are scared to go against his defenses,” Gilmore said. “He has always had a good defense no matter where he has been, and I’m just trying to be a part of that.”

The other thing that stood out for Gilmore was the functional space inside TCO Performance Center. He has tried to take better care of his body as he has grown older, and he liked everything  the practice facility offered when he thought about recovery on a daily basis.

“From the training room to the weight room, all of that is top notch,” Gilmore said. “That’s a reason I picked here.”

The opportunity to be a leader also appealed to Gilmore as he thought about his options. He has had a number of mentors throughout his career, and he enjoys being that for some of the younger players nowadays.

“I’m here to help whoever is trying to get better,” Gilmore said. “Whatever I can do, man, on the field, off the field, that’s what I’m here for.”

Meanwhile, head coach Kevin O’Connell spoke proudly about the culture the Vikings have in place, and how he believes that also played at least a small role in Gilmore deciding to come to Minnesota.

“There were a lot of teams checking in on him and figuring out if they could potentially add him to their team,” O’Connell said. “We wanted to make sure he knew what this opportunity would be. Not only on the field. He’s got an unbelievable opportunity to impact our team with the type of person and player and leader that he has always been.”

His new teammates already feeling strongly about Gilmore’s presence.

“I told him when he first got here, I said, ‘You’re the piece that we actually need in this room,’ ” Gilmore said. “I feel like is going to do wonderful things for us.”

Dallas Cowboys cornerback Stephon Gilmore (21) reacts after making a tackle on Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver DeVonta Smith (6) on a fourth-down play during the second half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Dec. 10, 2023, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Michael Ainsworth)

It’s still unclear how quickly Gilmore will start getting meaningful reps for the Vikings. He mixed in here and there at practice on Monday afternoon and will likely be brought along gradually over the next couple of weeks. That said, O’Connell isn’t at all worried about Gilmore acclimating to the system.

“He has been in a lot of different defensive schemes,” O’Connell said. “He has good familiarity with Flo and some of the things that we may call and schemes we may run. I think he’s excited to learn kind of what Flo has done with the defense here over the past couple of years. We’ll be excited to get him out rolling.”

It’s safe to say Gilmore is equally as excited to get rolling.

“I didn’t do much training camp so I feel pretty good right now,” Gilmore said. “Just trying to keep getting better every day.”

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