Patriots’ Star’s Extension Drama Just Took Another Twist
· Yahoo Sports
A new update emerged regarding New England Patriots corner Christian Gonzalez and a potential contract extension. NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport spoke on Inside the NFL Monday night. He indicated that a domino effect is occurring, which may help Gonzalez get a deal done.
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The corner has wanted to set the market in terms of contract extensions for quite some time. Several high-profile corners, such as Trent McDuffie, were able to get new deals. Now the next in line is the Seattle Seahawks and corner Devon Witherspoon. It appears that once Witherspoon is able to get his deal, then Gonzalez will follow suit.
Rapoport gave an update on how the market is looking at the moment.
“The Seahawks have, to my understanding, they have an offer of upwards of $30 million. One that would make Witherspoon among the, if not, the highest paid corner in the NFL. No resolution yet on that deal, but it wouldn’t be a surprise if Witherspoon gets done first, and then Gonzalez gets done at some point shortly after with the market set.”
McDuffie Deal Set Marker For Patriots
It’s worth noting that there was one market-setting deal in particular that got the proverbial ball rolling on potential new extensions. The Los Angeles Rams signed Porter Trent McDuffie to a four-year $124 million contract extension. This included $100 million in guaranteed money. To break it down even further, the average is $31 million per year.
Gonzalez is up for a new deal in 2027. This means he can technically play under contract for one more season.
However, several events have happened over the course of the last couple months. Gonzalez had his option extended for the 2027 season. With that being said, the corner sat out the Patriots’ voluntary organized team activities. He reported to mandatory minicamp in June to avoid fines. He attended meetings and participated in individual drills, but did not participate in full-contact situations.
It’s also worth noting around this time that Rapoport predicted Gonzalez would receive a big deal before week one. With negotiations humming along for Witherspoon, this timeline could still be very much in play. The Oregon product reiterated throughout the course of mandatory minicamp that he wants to stay in New England and be a member of the Patriots.
Patriots Star Coming Off Major Year
The timing to get a deal done could not have come better for Gonzalez. He played in 14 games and recorded 10 passes defended. He surrendered only 35 catches when targeted, and quarterbacks had a 64.4 passer rating when targeting him. Gonzalez had a 68.4 PFF coverage grade, which ranked 31st out of 114 qualified corners.
His postseason was productive as well. He had 19 tackles, seven passes defended, and an interception. This included allowing only two receptions for 12 yards in the fourth quarter of the entire playoff run. He allowed just 14 completions on 36 total targets. He proved to be an elite corner when the stakes were the highest.
This latest update could be a sign that a Gonzalez deal is going to happen in the near future. It will all depend on what Witherspoon does and when the Seahawks finish negotiations. Until then, Patriots fans may have to wait a little bit longer for good news. At the very least, Patriots fans are just hoping that a deal gets done overall, and that the team can lock up a defensive cornerstone for the foreseeable future.
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