The 53-man roster is set, but the extended contract negotiation between defensive back Christian Gonzalez and the New England Patriots is still ongoing. This comes as the business side of the NFL has become all too apparent this offseason in New England.
Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel appeared on The Greg Hill Show on Monday morning. There, he was asked about separating the personal side with what’s best for the team when communicating with a player in Gonzalez’s position. Admittedly, it’s a challenge.
“I think that’s just part of the job,” Mike Vrabel said. “One role that I have is making sure that there’s a separation. We’ve talked about the personal side, the professional side, and trying not to let those two conflict with each other. So, I try to communicate with all the players. I try to coach them. I try to get to know them. I guess I don’t think about it. I just have to go about navigating my job and what I feel like is best for each guy here as they come into how we get them ready and prepared to play and ultimately win.”
Gonzalez is going into the fourth year of his rookie contract with the Patriots. Under that deal, he’s severely underpaid, set to make about $4.8 million in 2026 and $18.1 million on his fifth-year option in 2027.
Unsurprisingly, Gonzalez wants a massive contract extension when compared to that. Just how massive is now the point of contention.
New England Patriots HC Mike Vrabel Avoids Specifics on Christian Gonzalez Negotiations
Over the weekend, Pro Football Talk‘s Mike Florio reported that the New England Patriots and Christian Gonzalez are still talking about their contract. This comes just 10 days before the regular season is set to begin.
Naturally, Mike Vrabel was also asked about that. However, the Patriots head coach remained evasive.
“I would say I don’t have anything new to add with Christian,” Vrabel said. “I don’t think that’s — whatever the events over the weekend, or whatever happened over the weekend or didn’t happen over the weekend, or what’s gonna happen today moving forward, I don’t think I have anything new to update you on.”
There is certainly room for Gonzalez to be frustrated. That doesn’t mean he’s going to miss time for the Patriots. As Vrabel said, he expects healthy players to play in Week 1 against the Seattle Seahawks.
“I expect him to be there today, and I’m going to focus on today. Like I tell everybody, I think that I expect every healthy player to play if he can practice for our football team. That’s my expectation as a head coach,” Vrabel said.
Major Issues in Negotiations Between the Patriots and Gonzalez
It has been widely reported that Christian Gonzalez wants to be made the highest paid cornerback in NFL history. That’s a big ask in the wake of the Devon Witherspoon extension. Still, as Florio wrote in his recent reporting, there’s more to it than just hitting a number.
“Amid speculation in some circles that Gonzalez wants a three-year extension (making it a five-year deal) while the Patriots are dug in at four new years and six total, we’re told that’s not a sticking point. If/when a new contract is done, it will be a four-year extension,” Florio wrote.
“The sticking points have more to do with structure and total dollars. He’s surely looking to beat the new record high of $33 million in new-money APY, set 15 days ago by Seahawks cornerback Devon Witherspoon.”
Florio added that there is a chance that Gonzalez could motivate the deal by being “injured” for Week 1. However, based on what Vrabel shared, that doesn’t seem particularly likely at this time.
Patriots HC Mike Vrabel on Challenge of Communicating with Christian Gonzalez