If not for Indianapolis Colts reasons, the New England Patriots could have reunited with their former star cornerback Stephon Gilmore instead of him going over to the Dallas Cowboys.

As if we needed more proof that the Indianapolis Colts and the New England Patriots despise one another, I present to you the Stephon Gilmore trade to the Dallas Cowboys.

The future hall-of-fame defensive back is now playing for his fifth NFL franchise since being dealt over to America's Team this offseason. The former South Carolina star initially played for the Buffalo Bills before becoming one of the best in the business with Bill Belichick. He also played for his hometown Carolina Panthers, in addition to a season with the absolute dog-water 2022 Colts.

So when Jeff Howe of The Athletic said the Patriots tried and failed to deal for Gilmore, you better believe Colts general manager Chris Ballard was not about to do business with the Evil Empire.

Clearly, the pain the Colts suffered from the Josh McDaniels fiasco still holds true in Indianapolis.

NFL rumors: New England Patriots almost nearly traded for Stephon Gilmore

At this stage of his illustrious NFL career, Gilmore is hoping to take a long-suffering franchise to the promised land. New England was already a well-oiled machine when he first arrived, but Gilmore was able to take his game to new heights in Foxborough. Although he is not the player he once was, Gilmore is a pro's pro and someone the Cowboys can lean on defensively in big spots.

While Gilmore is essentially a lock for Canton at this point in time, all he can do is build on his legacy in Dallas. Keep in mind that the NFL's most popular franchise has not played in an NFC Championship game since Troy Aikman was their star quarterback and Bill Clinton was in the White House. Nintendo 64s were all the rage back then and I could barely read as a 6-year-old.

Overall, not trading for Gilmore doesn't help the Patriots. I mean, they weren't going to be much of a threat in the deep AFC, but having a familiar face in the back end of the defense would have only served Belichick in his quest to never be wrong about anything ever. In the meantime, let's look forward to all the sweet, cool and awesome things Gilmore can now do as a member of the Cowboys.

As if we needed another reason to believe the rivalry is back on, just look at those petty Colts…