New England Patriots
“Obviously that’s my job is to be on the same page with everybody here, players and coaches, and I’m confident that that’s what we’re doing.”
Christian Gonzalez was absent from practice once again on Saturday, with the Patriots cornerback now missing the last two practices — as well as New England’s preseason opener against the Colts on Thursday night.
Speaking ahead of practice on Saturday, Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel stressed that Gonzalez’s extended absence is due to injury — and does not have to do with the prolonged contract negotiations between the defensive back and the organization.
“No, I don’t think I would expect Christian. Nor should you expect Christian,” Vrabel said. “Working hard, conditioning, but won’t be practicing. He’s not ready to get back out there and practice yet.”
Given the lack of progress in terms of a long-term contract that would make Gonzalez one of the highest-paid defensive players in the NFL, Vrabel was asked a follow-up about whether the Patriots and Gonzalez remain on the “same page”.
“Yeah, absolutely. I think that’s the important thing,” Vrabel said. “I’ve talked about his professionalism, everybody else’s. This isn’t anything that — it was something that happened in practice.
“And he’s where he’s supposed to be when he needs to be there, treatment, working with [director of sports performance] Frank [Piraino] and doing those things. Yes, obviously, that’s my job is to be on the same page with everybody here, players and coaches, and I’m confident that that’s what we’re doing.”
Gonzalez — who appeared to suffer an injury while hitting the field hard while defending Romeo Doubs in the end zone on Monday — was not spotted at Gillette Stadium during Thursday’s preseason game against the Colts.
While multiple starters who did not play on Thursday — including Drake Maye, A.J. Brown, Milton Williams, and others — took in that preseason matchup from the sideline at Gillette Stadium, Vrabel confirmed that Gonzalez and other players dealing with injuries weren’t present for the game.
“Christian was unavailable, physically unavailable for the practice,” Vrabel said after Thursday’s 13-13 draw. “That’s the clarification. Just like other players that I told to have treatment, and everybody has a plan here, there were other guys that were in that same category.”
“If you want to list the names, Christian Elliss, Brenden Schooler, Harold Landry, Christian Barmore, et cetera. So make sure they’re all included. They were all in the same group of what they did.”
It’s unclear how serious Gonzalez’s injury is, with the All-Pro corner missing the first three weeks of the 2025 season after suffering a hamstring injury early in training camp last year.
Gonzalez’s contract negotiations have been one of the top storylines during training camp.
Last month, Patriots owner Robert Kraft said that the team presented Gonzalez with an offer that would make him the NFL’s highest-paid cornerback, as well as the largest contract in Patriots franchise history.
There will be a new benchmark for Gonzalez and the Patriots to follow moving forward, as Seattle Seahawks cornerback Devon Witherspoon reportedly signed a four-year, $132 million contract extension, making him the highest-paid corner in the league.
As noted by ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Witherspoon’s deal — which was negotiated by Gonzalez’s agent, Reggie Johnson — will reset the market for Gonzalez amid these stalled contract talks. According to Schefter, the Patriots and Gonzalez have “have not made much progress so far” in their negotiations.
On Tuesday, Gonzalez seemed to shed some light on those stalled talks when he posted an Instagram story featuring the song lyric, “Should have been done by now.”
“Of course I want to be here,” Gonzalez said in June. “I’ve said this multiple times. I’ve been drafted here. I want to be rewarded as a Patriot, and I love this town. I love this city. So, yeah, of course I want to be here.”
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