Christian Gonzalez takes high road amid Patriots contract negotiations. That can’t be said for Robert Kraft.
FOXBOROUGH — Cornerback Christian Gonzalez was on the field for the Patriots’ first day of training camp. He was first in line for drills. He took the first rep in team drills against No. 1 receiver A.J. Brown.
He has done the same for all four days of camp, not missing a rep. And when the pads come on for the first time Thursday?
“I’ll be out here,” Gonzalez said.
It has been hard not to be impressed with Gonzalez this camp — not so much for his play on the field, but for his attitude and professionalism.
Gonzalez, in his fourth NFL season, is eligible for a new contract for the first time. He and the Patriots have been engaged in negotiations throughout the summer, but a deal has not yet materialized. A 2024 All-Pro and 2025 Pro Bowl selection, Gonzalez has a good case to break the high-water mark for cornerback contracts, Trent McDuffie’s deal with the Rams worth $31 million per season. Gonzalez is currently on the books for $2.81 million in 2026.
Many superstar players in Gonzalez’s situation would “hold in” — show up to training camp to avoid fines, yet sit out of practice with a minor “injury” until the deal is completed. Gonzalez appeared to do that in the spring, when he was present but only practiced in a limited capacity. Yet Gonzalez has fully participated in training camp, even though one misstep could result in an injury that could derail his negotiation.
“These are my guys. It’s hard to sit and just watch,” Gonzalez said Tuesday. “I like to be out on the field. It’s what I love to do. At the end of the day, I’ve got to get better for myself and for the team. So, got to do what I’ve got to do and grind and continue to push myself.”
Gonzalez declined several times to speak about the state of negotiations.
“Keep it between my team and the front office,” he said about a half-dozen times.
Yet the same can’t be said for the man at the other end of the table. Patriots owner Robert Kraft couldn’t help himself on Saturday, telling reporters that “we’ve made an offer to him that makes him the highest-paid player ever to play that position in the NFL. Coincidentally, it’s the highest contract in Patriots franchise history.”
There was no need for Kraft to make that comment, other than to make Gonzalez look bad and pressure him to sign whatever offer is on the table. It was especially distasteful given how well Gonzalez has represented the Patriots in his career, and how important he is to the team.
Notably, Kraft found Gonzalez on the sideline at Tuesday’s practice and had a brief chat — an apology, hopefully. Gonzalez took the high road when asked about the owner’s comments.
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“A ton of respect for Mr. Kraft and what he’s done with this franchise,” Gonzalez said. “It’s just something we don’t want to handle in the media, and keep that with the team and my team and go on about that.”
The highest contracts in Patriots history are Milton Williams’s $104 million deal over four years, and Drew Bledsoe’s $103 million over 10 years. Their richest cornerback deals were $82.5 million over five years for J.C. Jackson in 2022, and $65 million over five years for Stephon Gilmore in 2017. League-wide, McDuffie has the highest cornerback contract at $124 million over four years.
Gonzalez deserves to blow all of those out of the water. One of the top lockdown cornerbacks in the NFL who is only 24 years old, Gonzalez was dominant in last year’s playoff run. In 153 postseason coverage snaps, Gonzalez allowed just 14 catches on 36 targets with no touchdowns, an interception, and a 41.9 passer rating.
Gonzalez was even better in the Super Bowl, shadowing Jaxon Smith-Njigba, the NFL’s Offensive Player of the Year. Smith-Njigba caught 4 of 10 passes for 27 yards, marking just the second time in 54 career games that Smith-Njigba caught fewer than 50 percent of passes thrown his way, and the first time it happened with at least 10 targets.
The only question should be whether Gonzalez becomes the richest cornerback in the league, or a close No. 2 behind the Seahawks’ Devon Witherspoon, also in his fourth season and currently negotiating for a new contract. Gonzalez and Witherspoon have the same agent.
“When you have a guy that’s in that 1 percent of being able to lock down their No. 1 receiver, it’s very important,” fellow Patriots cornerback Marcus Jones said. “The organization knows the value that he brings to the team, and Gonzo loves it here, I know that for a fact.”
His teammates have been impressed with Gonzalez’s professionalism amid the negotiations.
“I think that shows his main focus, and that’s football,” said quarterback Drake Maye, who is up for his own mega contract next offseason. “I look up to how he does things, how he handles himself, and his swagger he has in his own way. Everybody was wondering, ‘What’s Gonzo going to do?’ And he’s coming out here, and first play, he’s guarding A.J. in man coverage.”
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