The Seattle Seahawks spent much of the final stretch before Week 1 wondering whether Christian Gonzalez’s contract situation might complicate his availability for the Super Bowl LX rematch.
That possibility is gone.
The New England Patriots agreed to a four-year, $135 million extension with Christian Gonzalez, NFL.com reported early Tuesday. The deal includes $102 million guaranteed and makes the 24-year-old the highest-paid cornerback in NFL history, moving him ahead of Seahawks star Devon Witherspoon.
For Seattle, the timing is unwelcome. Gonzalez was back at full strength after missing time in training camp, according to Reuters, and the new agreement removes the contract uncertainty that had followed him into game week.
That matters most for Jaxon Smith-Njigba.
Gonzalez held the reigning AP Offensive Player of the Year to four catches for 27 yards on 10 targets in Seattle’s 29-13 Super Bowl LX win, and the former Oregon standout played a major role in making that happen.
Now the Patriots know their top cover man has every reason to be fully locked in for Wednesday night at Lumen Field.
Gonzalez Deal Removes Potential Seahawks Advantage
The contract situation had become one of New England’s biggest storylines entering the opener.
Gonzalez stayed away from organized team activities while seeking a new deal, later expressed frustration over the lack of an extension and declined to commit publicly to playing in Week 1 while negotiations remained unresolved. As recently as Monday morning, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that talks were “nowhere,” according to Boston.com, raising at least some doubt about whether the issue could spill into the game against Seattle.
Instead, New England finished the deal before the season began.
NFL.com reported that Gonzalez’s $33.75 million average annual value eclipses the four-year, $132 million extension Devon Witherspoon signed with Seattle in August. The Patriots also secured one of the NFL’s best young defensive backs through the heart of his prime.
Gonzalez earned second-team All-Pro honors in 2024 and made his first Pro Bowl in 2025. He allowed a 50.6% completion rate when targeted during the 2025 regular season, according to Next Gen Stats, then elevated his play during New England’s run to the Super Bowl.
His best work came against Seattle’s biggest offensive weapon.
Smith-Njigba Gets Rematch With Tough Matchup
Smith-Njigba enters 2026 after producing one of the best receiving seasons in franchise history. The Seahawks star led the NFL with 1,793 receiving yards on 119 receptions with 10 touchdowns and became Seattle’s second AP Offensive Player of the Year.
Gonzalez was one of the few defenders who consistently disrupted him.
NFL.com credited Gonzalez with 14 coverage snaps against Smith-Njigba in Super Bowl LX, allowing one reception for 16 yards when the two went head-to-head. Gonzalez also finished the postseason with seven pass breakups, the most of any player in the playoffs.
The matchup was already shaping up as one of the defining individual battles of the opener. Gonzalez praised Smith-Njigba before the game, calling him a “great, great receiver” and noting how smoothly he disguises his routes and speed, as Heavy previously detailed.
Seattle still won the game that mattered most in February, and Smith-Njigba gets the rematch at home tomorrow.
But any hope that New England’s offseason contract drama might weaken the Patriots’ secondary has disappeared. Gonzalez is paid, healthy and coming back to Seattle after helping hold the NFL’s reigning Offensive Player of the Year to one of his quietest games of 2025.
That gives Smith-Njigba an instant challenge as Seattle begins its title defense.
Seahawks, Jaxon Smith-Njigba Get Bad News With Patriots’ $135 Million Move