Cowboys CB Stephon Gilmore on upcoming free agency: 'I want to come back'

Dallas Cowboys cornerback Stephon Gilmore is set to become a free agent this offseason, but already knows who he wants to play for.

Gilmore, who will enter his 13th season in the NFL, wants to stay put in Dallas and build on what he helped build this season.

“I want to come back. We can’t talk until March,” Gilmore told 96.7 The Ticket, via Jon Machota of The Athletic. “But that’s the goal. Because I think we do have the pieces to get to where we want to go. And I want to be part of that.”

The Cowboys acquired the 33-year-old from the Indianapolis Colts this past offseason. Gilmore suited up in every game for the first time since his AP Defensive Player of the Year-winning campaign, then a member of the New England Patriots. He tallied a career-high 68 tackles (54 solo), two interceptions, 13 passes defensed and one forced fumble. Gilmore earned a 74.4 overall grade, according to Pro Football Focus.

Emmitt Smith calls out Cowboys for ’embarrassing’ playoff performance

Gilmore, of course, was part of the Cowboys’ latest playoff collapse, a 48-32 home defeat to the Green Bay Packers in the NFC Wild Card Round. Pro Football Hall of Fame running back Emmitt Smith, a three-time Super Bowl champion with the Cowboys, called the performance “embarrassing.”

“To be honest, I am a little surprised all because the way things have transpired over the last few years — removing Kellen [Moore] and taking over the controls of the offense and so forth,” Smith said on ESPN Radio this week on Super Bowl Radio Row. “I am a little surprised. The way our team exited out of the playoffs, I am real surprised. Because to me, I look to my leaders. And leaders look to players to be ready and be prepared for the situations in all situations. And unfortunately for us, I don’t know if we were as prepared as we needed to be.

“The way we exited the playoffs this year was not a good look. Put it that way, and was somewhat embarrassing. It lends you to believe that either we’re not trained or coached properly in terms of game-type situations. … It’s not a good look.”