The wait continues with respect to Christian Gonzalez and the Patriots. No extension is in place at this time with a perceived Week 1 deadline approaching.
Since Devon Witherspoon expectedly reset the cornerback market with his Seahawks extension, attention has shifted toward the Patriots’ willingness to offer a similar (or more lucrative) deal to Gonzalez. The latter has aired his frustration with the lack of an agreement along with public remarks made by Patriots owner Robert Kraft and EVP Eliot Wolf. Details on the terms of a proposed extension remain a key sticking point.
Both Kraft and Wolf have stated New England’s offers to Gonzalez would make him the NFL’s highest-paid corner. A recent report from ESPN’s Adam Schefter, on the other hand, indicated team and player have never been close to an agreement which would move the bar for CB compensation. Counterintuitive as it may seem, it is of course possible for both claims to be accurate.
NFL contracts can be viewed in a number of ways, with the total value (and therefore average on a per-year basis) being of particular importance to teams. From the player’s perspective, though, guarantee figures and the cashflow included in an extension are often seen as being more significant. A breakdown from CBS Sports’ Joel Corry details how the cornerback position has shifted recently with respect to upfront compensation and its likely impact on stalled Gonzalez talks.
During an appearance on 98.5 The Sports Hub’s “Felger & Mazz” earlier this week, Christian “Flight” White – Gonzalez’s trainer – spoke about the nature of extension negotiations. He acknowledged (via MassLive’s Karen Guregian) that the Patriots’ offers would indeed make Gonzalez the league’s top earner at the cornerback spot but added “the contract language was kind of trash.” The current impasse can thus be chalked up to a dispute on the matters of contract structure.
Mike Giardi of the Boston Sports Journal has been consistent in naming issues like guaranteed money as a point of contention in this matter. He recently spoke with Gonzalez about the lack of progress in contract talks, and the Pro Bowler noted he is still unsure if an agreement will be in place prior to next week. Provided that remains the case over the coming days, it will be interesting to see if Gonzalez is on the field during the Super Bowl rematch which will take place next Thursday.
“I mean, when that time comes, that’s when things will happen,” the 24-year-old said (via Guregian) when asked if he would consider holding out during Week 1 in the event he does not have an extension in hand by that point. “We’ll save that (answer) for when it’s game time,” he added. There is still time for a deal to be struck, and it will be interesting to see how urgent team and player become as the countdown to the regular season continues.
The Pats picked up Gonzalez’s fifth-year option this spring. He is under contract through 2027 as a result, although a pact spanning several more seasons has long been the target in this case. A middle ground on several contractual fronts will need to be found if this storyline is to conclude prior to next week.
