The New England Patriots still seem confident they’ll strike a deal with star cornerback Christian Gonzalez, but the feeling might not be mutual.
Week 1 is quickly approaching, but Gonzalez’s contract — or lack thereof — remains the biggest talking point in Foxboro. Despite executive vice president of player personnel Eliot Wolf’s confidence the two sides will find common ground, Gonzalez admitted to reporters he has become frustrated with the process.
“It’s frustrating, but I’m focused on the season. I’m focused on here now,” Gonzalez told reporters after practice on Aug. 25, per ESPN.com.
Christian Gonzalez Getting Irked by Lack of Patriots Contract?
Gonzalez repeatedly insisted that he’s focused on getting ready for the season opener in Seattle, but he also didn’t seem willing to put a positive spin on where things stand.
“I’m focused on Week 1 at this point. I mean, it’s been all offseason, so I feel like the line of today is, ‘It is what it is,'” Gonzalez, who recently returned to practice after an injury, added.
His comments come 10 days after the Seahawks signed cornerback Devon Witherspoon to a four-year, $132 million contract extension. Gonzalez and Witherspoon were members of the same draft class, and they share an agent, so the hope (among Patriots fans, at least) was that New England would follow suit once the market was set. That hasn’t happened — yet.
Patriots Express Confidence Gonzalez Will Be Signed
Gonzalez’s recent comments came just hours after Wolf briefed reporters on the team as it reached the formal end of training camp.
Unsurprisingly, the Gonzalez situation dominated Wolf’s session with reporters, and he took the company line when it came to the star corner.
“Nothing new to report on Christian,” Wolf admitted to reporters, per NBC Sports Boston. “Want him here. He’s an elite player, been on record saying that before, and we’re continuing to work with his representation to find a solution that works for everyone.”
Wolf added: “I’m confident we’re continuing to work on it, and we’re positive we’re making momentum.”
Wolf also echoed comments from Patriots owner Robert Kraft, who earlier in camp said the team was willing to give Gonzalez a record-breaking contract for the cornerback position. NFL contracts are complicated, though, especially when considering guaranteed money, signing bonuses, yearly compensation, etc.
That distinction seems relevant and even important to Gonzalez.
“I mean, there’s certain things that go into a contract, you know, my team knows what we want,” Gonzalez said, per MassLive. “So, it kind of depends how you put it.”
NFL Insider Believes Gonzalez-Patriots Standoff Is ‘Legitimate Coin Flip’
The two sides are running out of time, if they want to strike a deal before the Sept. 9 opener in Seattle. As Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer pointed out on NBC Sports Boston, there’s about a two-week runway for cooler heads to prevail.
That said, a deal is no sure thing, according to Breer.
I do think it’s a legitimate coin flip right now, and we’ll see where the Patriots are willing to go with this. These things have come down to the Saturday before the season starts,” he said. ” … you’ve got two weeks to get the deal done if you want to get it done before the opener. I think the way the two sides talked today, it is a legitimate coin flip. I think what you saw over the last week was a little bit of a subtle warning shot.”
Patriots’ Christian Gonzalez Makes Concerning Admission About Contract