Despite Robert Kraft’s comments about a contract offer, Patriots star Christian Gonzalez declines to comment on negotiations
FOXBOROUGH — Three days after Patriots owner Robert Kraft made headlines about the team’s record-setting offer, Patriots cornerback Christian Gonzalez declined to comment on the status of negotiations for a potential contract extension.
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“It’s something we don’t want to handle to the media,” Gonzalez said Tuesday. “We want to keep that with the team and my team and go on about that.”
On Saturday, the first day of training camp, Kraft shared that the Patriots already had extended an offer to Gonzalez that would make him the highest-paid cornerback in the NFL as well as the highest-paid player in franchise history. Kraft did not share any other details about the offer, nor would he say whether he’s optimistic a deal would be finalized soon.
Asked if he felt Kraft’s revelation placed pressure on his camp to respond, Gonzalez again declined to discuss the negotiations.
“Anything with that, I’m going to keep that between my team, my agents, the team, and the front office, and leave it at that,” he said.
Gonzalez reiterated that sentiment several times when asked about the status of negotiations and his thoughts on Kraft’s comments.
Asked if it bothers him that Kraft made details public, given his desire to keep things private, Gonzalez said he “wouldn’t get into that.” Asked if he feels he’s competing with Seahawks cornerback Devon Witherspoon to reset the cornerback market, Gonzalez said he would keep things between his team and the front office. Asked if it’s important to him to become the highest-paid cornerback in the league, Gonzalez once again said he would keep things private.
Gonzalez also declined to say whether he would play this season on his current contract. His salary-cap number is set at $4.8 million in 2026 and $18.1 million in 2027. Trent McDuffie, the NFL’s highest-paid cornerback, has an average annual value of $31 million, with the top three cornerbacks making at least $30 million per year.
Despite the uncertainty with his contract situation, Gonzalez has remained a full participant in practice. He skipped the voluntary offseason program, only showing up for mandatory minicamp and practicing in a limited capacity.
Through four days of training camp, though, Gonzalez hasn’t missed a portion of practice, even matching up against A.J. Brown during 11-on-11 competitive periods. Asked about the potential injury risk, Gonzalez didn’t seem overly concerned.
“It’s hard to sit and just watch,” he said. “I like to be out on the field. This is what I love to do. At the end of the day, I’ve got to get better for myself and for the team. I’ve got to do what I’ve got to do and grind and continue to push myself.”
The next checkpoint for Gonzalez will be Thursday, when the Patriots are slated to wear pads for the first time this summer. Gonzalez said he plans to be on the field for those practices but played coy about his participation level.
Last year, Gonzalez suffered a hamstring injury the opening day of padded practices and ended up missing the first three games.
Now that second-round pick Gabe Jacas has signed his rookie deal, Gonzalez’s extension is the top unresolved contract matter for the Patriots.
“At the end of the day, it’s business and it’s ball,” Gonzalez said. “I’m blessed to be able to do this as my job. I can’t get too much into it. We get to wake up and come out here and play football for a job, so I’m very blessed. I’m happy I’m able to come out here and run around and do what I love for a living.”
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