It’s an interesting time to be a New England Patriot as the club gets ready for the post-Tom Brady era. ESPN’s Mike Reiss recently caught up with New England defensive back Stephon Gilmore to get his thoughts on New England’s quarterback situation and more.

As for letting Brady walk in free agency, Gilmore wasn’t all that surprised.

“A player like him, playing somewhere that long, you never can see it, but it shows you that in the National Football League it can be anyone going somewhere,” the former South Carolina Gamecock said. “It’s a business, and that’s how you have to look at it.”

It’s not clear yet who will be the Patriots’ next QB1. New England drafted former Auburn standout Jarrett Stidham in the fourth-round of the 2019 NFL Draft. The club has also brought in veterans Brian Hoyer and Cody Kessler to compete in camp. Gilmore shared that he has been impressed by Stidham.

“He came in and worked hard and got better and better as the year went on. He has a strong arm,” Gilmore said. “He makes some tough throws. Definitely made it hard on me in practice each and every week, going against whoever I was covering, making some great throws. It allowed me to get better in practice to prepare for the games.”

More from Gilmore on offseason life in the coronavirus pandemic and more can be found in Reiss’ full article.