Two-time All-Pro cornerback Stephon Gilmore was absent from the first day of mandatory minicamp for the New England Patriots on Monday, multiple outlets reported.
Quarterback Cam Newton, however, is a full-go after injuring his hand during OTAs.
Also Monday, new tight end Jonnu Smith missed the second half of practice after appearing to injure his hamstring.
Missing Monday’s session would cost Gilmore $15,000, while missing all three days would rack up a total of roughly $93,000 in fines. Gilmore skipped all of the Pats’ voluntary workouts.
Gilmore is coming off surgery on his quadriceps, an injury that cost him the final two games of the 2020 season. Gilmore also missed time after testing positive for COVID-19 earlier in the season. He recorded three pass breakups, one interception, one forced fumble and 37 total tackles in 11 games played last season.
It’s unclear the reason for Gilmore’s absence.
“I’m not sure if everybody is here,” Patriots coach Bill Belichick said, adding that he would not discuss communication he has with players. “We didn’t take attendance at the meeting but we’ll find out who’s here and who isn’t soon enough.
“That includes the players that were here last week and the players that weren’t here last week and everything else.”
Gilmore, a four-time Pro Bowl selection, is in the final year of a five-year, $65 million contract but is scheduled to earn just $7 million this season, well below market value. However, the team last year moved $4.5 million of this year’s salary into his 2020 compensation, a boost in response to Gilmore’s DPOY from the prior season.
Smith was seen grabbing at his left hamstring early on in drills on Monday. After talking with the training staff, he did not participate in any more drills but remained on the field. Smith, 25, signed a four-year, $50 million deal with the Pats in the offseason.
Newton, 32, sustained a bone bruise in his right hand during a June 4 practice session but showed up Friday and threw the ball quite a bit, per reports.
“He practiced last week, I’d expect him this week,” Belichick said. “We’ll see what he can do.”
Newton re-signed with the Patriots on a one-year deal in March after going 7-8 and passing for 2,657 yards, eight touchdowns and 10 interceptions in his first season with New England in 2020.
The Patriots also drafted former Alabama quarterback Mac Jones in the first round.
“There are things that come up that might be pretty advanced or things you might see on a practice field that he won’t see during the year and then there are plenty of things that he will see and then there are some things that he won’t see on the practice field, but he definitely will see during in the year,” Belichick said when asked about the offseason process for a rookie quarterback.
“And that’s true for every player at every position. So, we just do the best we can to try to prepare the players for what they see but the main thing is to build a solid foundation.”
