With the Summer months now underway, the major question for the New England Patriots is when will they extend Christian Gonzalez. The star cornerback expects to become one of the best-paid defensive players in the NFL once his extension is inked, and knowing that situation sooner rather than later would help the Patriots be ready for the future.
One Patriots legend, Julian Edelman, has kept a close eye on that contract situation. Now, he has some blunt advice for the team. Pay Gonzalez, and pay him sooner rather than later.
“Get him paid,” Edelman said on Games with Names. “…They’re figuring it out.”
One anonymous NFL GM doesn’t think Edelman has anything to worry about. They recently shared that they expect the Patriots to extend Gonzalez in the next couple of months.
“That one gets done before the season,” the GM said. “He’ll get paid.”
It does seem like that’s the direction that the Patriots are heading with Gonzalez. He recently purchased a home near the stadium in Massachusetts, implying that he’s planning on sticking around for the foreseeable future.
Timeline for the New England Patriots to Extend Christian Gonzalez
GettyNew England Patriots cornerback Christian Gonzalez
While that GM believes that the New England Patriots and Christian Gonzalez will have a contract extension before the season begins, that doesn’t mean that he’ll have one immediately. In fact, Patriots insider Greg Bedard recently tried to set a timeline on it.
Based on Bedard’s reporting, it’s going to be a few weeks at least before Gonzalez gets his contract. In fact, there won’t be an update until around training camp.
“What I’ve heard is I would not expect any sort of update until training camp, and I think that’s where I think the Patriots are,” Bedard said on CLNS. “It’s sort of like a shrug and say, ‘We’ll see where we are at training camp.’ If that’s the case, I think it’s going to drag into training camp.”
Gonzalez stepped away from the team during the voluntary portion of the offseason, looking for his new deal. That didn’t come at the time, and he returned for Mandatory Minicamp. However, how he handles training camp remains to be seen.
Christian Gonzalez May Reset the Cornerback Market
GettyNew England Patriots cornerback Christian Gonzalez
Earlier in this offseason, the Los Angeles Rams traded for Trent McDuffie and then gave him a contract that would completely reset the market for defensive backs. That was for four-years and $124 million, making him the highest-paid corner in NFL history. Many experts expect the New England Patriots and Christian Gonzalez to top that.
What will be interesting to follow is the Devon Witherspoon extension. Now, in the same situation as the Seattle Seahawks that Gonzalez is with the Patriots, Witherspoon is also expecting a massive new contract extension. If that comes before Gonzalez, then Gonzalez may be looking to build on that number.
As far as the actual number goes, Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated did his best to estimate a fair deal earlier in the offseason. Breer thinks a fair deal for Gonzalez would be a four-year, $140 million deal. That’s about $35 million annually. That’s a massive upgrade from the $4.8 million he’s set to be paid in 2026.
Patriots Legend Julian Edelman Honest Thoughts on Christian Gonzalez Contract