Christian Gonzalez still doesn’t have a contract extension, and the Patriots are keeping the door open.
Executive vice president of player personnel Eliot Wolf said Saturday that New England continues to work toward a deal with its star cornerback, even as the preseason rolls on without an agreement in place.
“Each side is trying to do what’s best for them,” Wolf said during halftime of the Patriots’ game against the Philadelphia Eagles on WBZ. “Obviously, Christian’s a tremendous player that you know we’ve been on record multiple times saying we want him to be here, and that hasn’t changed.
“So we’re going to continue working with his representation to try to get something done.”
The latest update arrives a few days after ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported the sides are not “overly close” to a deal. Schefter also said the Patriots “would like to get him a new deal.”
The market around Gonzalez has only gotten more expensive. Seattle Seahawks corner Devon Witherspoon, the No. 5 pick in the 2023 NFL Draft where Gonzalez went 17th, signed a four-year, $132 million extension last week. That deal set the new standard for cornerbacks, with an average annual value of $33 million and $101 million in guaranteed money.
Gonzalez remains on his rookie contract, which is set to pay him $4.8 million in 2026 and runs through the 2027 season.
Even with the extension talks ongoing, Gonzalez had been taking part in training camp practices before suffering an injury on Aug. 10 after a hard fall. He did not take part in OTAs earlier this offseason, and he also sat out the first two preseason games.
Owner Robert Kraft said last month that the team had offered Gonzalez a contract that would have made him the highest-paid cornerback in NFL history, as well as the highest-paid player in Patriots history.
Gonzalez has not spoken publicly at length about the negotiations. He did respond to Kraft’s comments on July 28.
“Everybody knows what Mr. Kraft has done,” Gonzalez said on July 28.
“A ton of respect for Mr. Kraft for what he’s done with this franchise.
It’s just something we don’t want to handle in the media. Keep that with the team and my team.”
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