The Patriots moved fast to lock up Christian Gonzalez, and the numbers tell the story. According to SI.com’s Albert Breer, the cornerback’s four-year, $135 million extension carries a $33 million signing bonus and $53.928 million fully guaranteed over the first two years.
Breer also reported that Gonzalez’s 2028 money becomes guaranteed in March 2027, while his 2029 money will be guaranteed in March 2028. On top of that, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk reported Gonzalez has offseason workout bonuses worth $300,000 for 2027 through 2031, plus the chance to earn as much as $1.7 million in each of those seasons through per-game active roster bonuses.
NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo said the deal came together quickly and that he did not expect an agreement to be reached by Monday morning. Garafolo added that the Patriots were suddenly willing to meet several benchmarks to make Gonzalez the highest-paid player at his position because they wanted the situation resolved before the season. Earlier offers, Garafolo said, did not fit Gonzalez’s expectations on cash flow and guarantees, but New England eventually matched what he wanted.
In Miami, Willie Gay Jr. is looking at a possible larger workload as the Dolphins shift toward more three-linebacker looks under HC Jeff Hafley. Gay, who was clearly in a backup role last season, said the setup could put him on the field more often and make his return to SAM linebacker more relevant.
“This defense is obviously different from last year, the way we play three backers on the field at once,” Gay said, via Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald. “That, in itself, could be a reason that I could play a lot more.
This is what I did when I first came into the NFL with the Chiefs for four years. Then I went to the Saints and did it for another year.
Last year, the defense was a little different, so I didn’t play this position as a SAM linebacker…We blitz, we set the edge, we cover guys man-to-man.”
Dolphins GM Jon-Eric Sullivan didn’t pin Gay to any specific spot on the depth chart, especially with injuries hitting the linebacker room, but he made it clear he values what Gay brings.
“Willie is physical; he can run,” Sullivan said. “Special teams is vitally important to him.
Right now we’re banged up in the linebacker room, so it’s hard to say where he’ll land on the depth chart. That’s still in flux, but we’re glad Willie’s on the team.
I thought he played with great effort”
For the Jets, right tackle Armand Membou says year two feels different. He pointed to a stronger sense of comfort, both personally and around the offense, after spending last season dealing with the chaos of being thrown at Steelers edge rusher T.J. Watt.
“Going to my second season, I’ve been through this last year, so I just feel more comfortable,” Membou told the team website. “And then I also just feel better as a team.
I feel like we just feel a lot better [about] ourselves right now, and I feel like we feel ready to compete. So, I’m excited to see what we’re going to do this Sunday.”
He said the nerves that came with that rookie matchup have eased up.
“I mean, I’ll be real. Last year, I’m going against T.J.
Watt, so the whole week I was kind of distressed thinking about that. But like I said, this year it’s my second year in the league, so I’m a little more comfortable.
The nerves are a little less than a year ago. I feel like we just have a tighter bond with the offense this year.”
Membou added.
Jets HC Aaron Glenn said outside linebacker Joseph Ossai is still week-to-week because of a plantar fascia injury, and he also noted that everyone who has been trending toward returning in Week 1 remains on that track.
In Other News...
Dolphins Draw A 49ers Team Caught In An NFL Scheduling Fight
The 49ers trip to Australia has already spilled into the scheduling debate, and it leaves Miami with an interesting Week 2 assignment. San Francisco asked the NFL to push its game against the Dolphins to Monday night so it could get a little extra recovery time after the long haul overseas, but the league turned down the request.
Instead, the Rams got the Monday night slot and the added breathing room, while the 49ers head into their matchup with Miami on Sunday. For the Dolphins, it means facing a team coming off an unusual travel week and then watching San Francisco settle into a stretch of three straight home games after returning from Australia. [Read more 🡒]
Dolphins Rookie Is Putting Early Pressure On A Bold Linebacker Bet
The Dolphins made a noticeable investment in linebacker Jacob Rodriguez, spending a premium second-round pick on him even with other starters already in the room. Since then, Rodriguez has started to justify the decision with the kind of traits teams crave from a modern linebacker, especially his feel for the ball and his work in coverage.
Miamis release of Tyrel Dodson only sharpened the spotlight on the rookie and suggested the club is comfortable moving forward with Rodriguez in a bigger role. Evaluators around the league see a player whose transition to the NFL could come quickly, and the next step is proving he can turn those early flashes into reliable production alongside the rest of the Dolphins front seven. [Read more 🡒]
Tua Tagovailoa Just Put Miami Fans On Edge Again
Tua Tagovailoa gave Miami another uneasy sight on Thursday when he briefly went to the ground during throwing drills because of what appeared to be a back injury. He did not take part in the team portions of practice afterward, and Cooper Rush handled all of the first-team reps in his absence.
It was a jolt for a Dolphins team already trying to get its quarterback through camp in one piece after Tagovailoa missed the first week with back spasms. With Week 1 looming, his status as the starter is suddenly far less certain than anyone around the team would like this time of year. [Read more 🡒]