Patriots head coach Bill Belichick is not interested in talking about Stephon Gilmore or N’Keal Harry

The NFL offseason is the time for speculation and rumors, but New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick was not interested in talking about hypotheticals on Tuesday morning. In fact, he was not interested in talking about two frequently mentioned players at all: cornerback Stephon Gilmore and wide receiver N’Keal Harry.

Gilmore, who is entering the final year of his contract, held out of mandatory minicamp in hopes of getting a new deal or at least a pay bump from the Patriots. Harry, meanwhile, is apparently looking for a new team after his agent publicly requested a trade.

Belichick was asked about both of them during his pre-training camp press conference, but he was not open to share any information.

“Yeah, we’re not going to talk publicly about contracts,” he said when asked about Gilmore’s status.

His answer about Harry was no different.

“Not going to talk about contracts and personal situations,” he added.

Belichick refusing to share any insight into the team’s business is nothing new. He and the Patriots as a whole are always playing their cards rather close to the vest, so his answers on Tuesday should not have come as any surprise.

For the time being, Gilmore and Harry will continue to be the subject of speculation. Will the former NFL Defensive Player of the Year get a new deal, or a pay raise, or traded? Will Harry get his wish and be on a new team at one point this season? Belichick may or may not already know the answers to those questions, but one thing is sure: he will not talk about them until any official announcements have been made.

As for the two players in question, we will see about their statuses in the coming days or weeks. Gilmore did report to camp last week, but was placed on the physically unable to perform list after ending last season on injured reserve due to a partially torn quad. Harry, on the other hand, his set to report to Gillette Stadium on Tuesday.

Both of them will very much remain in the spotlight for the time being. But even so, Belichick will not talk about their situations or any others. His latest media appearance made that clear, as if there was ever any doubt about it.

With the first practice of training camp set to take place on Wednesday morning, it looks as if the Patriots’ head coach is therefore very much in midseason form already.