There has been no progress on a contract extension for New England Patriots cornerback Christian Gonzalez and that has left the 2025 Pro Bowler frustrated and disappointed.
One month after owner Robert Kraft told reporters the team made an offer that would see the 24-year-old become the “highest-paid player ever to play that position in the NFL,” things remain at a standstill.
“It’s frustrating, but I’m focused on the season. I’m focused on here now,” Gonzalez said on Tuesday via ESPN’s Mike Reiss.
When asked if he was optimistic a deal would get done before the Patriots face the Seattle Seahawks in a Super Bowl rematch to open the season, Gonzalez said, “I’m focused on Week 1 at this point. I mean, it’s been all offseason, so I feel like the line of today is, ‘It is what it is.'”
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Eliot Wolf, the Patriots’ executive vice president of player personnel, said Tuesday that both sides continue to work toward a new deal “that works for everyone.”
“We want him here. He’s an elite player,” Wolf said, adding that no deadline has been set to strike an agreement.
Gonzalez, the No. 17 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, currently has two seasons remaining on his rookie deal after the team picked up his fifth-year option in April. The deal will pay him $2.3 million in 2026 and $18.1 million in 2027.
Via OverTheCap, the current highest-paid cornerback in the NFL is Trent McDuffie of the Los Angeles Rams at $31 million per year. His four-year, $124 million contract is also the largest for a defensive back in league history and contains the most guaranteed money at $100 million.
Gonzalez’s agent, Reggie Johnson, negotiated a four-year, $132 million extension for Seahawks cornerback Devon Witherspoon earlier this month.
As for the largest contract in franchise history, that title belongs to Gonzalez’s teammate, defensive tackle Milton Williams, with his four-year, $104 million deal. The title does not belong to Tom Brady, who never signed a deal larger than a four-year, $72 million deal from 2010 to 2014 or made more than his $23 million in 2019 with the Patriots.
Gonzalez returned to practice on Monday for the first time since suffering an undisclosed injury on Aug. 10, forcing him to miss joint practices against the Indianapolis Colts and Philadelphia Eagles. The 2024 All-Pro did not say if his absence was contract-related or due to injury.
