The New England Patriots are headed into a brutal opener, and Christian Gonzalez may have added another layer of uncertainty to it.
New England starts the season on the road against the Seattle Seahawks next week, in a game that comes on the night the defending champions raise the banner. It’s also a rematch of last year’s Super Bowl, the one the Patriots got “(sort of) blown out” in. And now the Patriots may have to sort through Gonzalez’s contract situation on top of everything else.
Gonzalez, the Patriots’ star cornerback, wants his extension. There were negotiations aimed at getting something done, but the two sides reportedly are not especially close. The expectation is that he’ll enter the regular season still on his rookie deal.
He addressed the situation in an interview with Boston 25 News. When reporter Lauren Walsh asked whether he’ll play Wednesday night, Gonzalez answered, “I’m focused on today”, which isn’t a no, but it also isn’t a yes.
Asked about the Seahawks, he also took time to praise them for keeping and respecting their players. At the very least, he does not sound thrilled.
The wrinkle here is that Gonzalez still has two years left on his rookie contract because of the fifth-year option. That makes the case for an extension less straightforward, especially after he missed 17 games in his first three seasons. Still, the frustration makes sense when so many other major players from the 2023 NFL Draft have already been extended.
The problem is that no one really knows where the gap is. There have been whispers that Gonzalez wants either a huge jump above the current top of the market or a percentage of the salary cap. Other voices say he’s asking for a standard extension and that the Patriots are simply being tight-fisted, as is their nature.
Whatever the reason, his status matters a lot. If Gonzalez chooses a soft holdout to push for a deal, New England would be without its best defensive player - the one who carried a lot of the load in helping keep the Patriots in Super Bowl LX seven months ago. And the Patriots already know what life looks like without him.
Last season, Gonzalez missed the first three games of the regular season. New England lost two of those three, including a home game against the eventual 3-14 Raiders, and the lone win was a close one over the Dolphins. Once Gonzalez returned in Week 4, the Patriots went 13-1 the rest of the way.
There’s also the state of the defense around him. New England has barely touched that side of the ball this offseason.
Kevin Byard at safety was the only real addition. K’Lavon Chaisson left in free agency, Dre’Mont Jones can be viewed as an upgrade over him, and Harold Landry III is out.
Even with Gonzalez, the defense is probably worse.
So while Gonzalez is expected to play, he may not be in the mood to do anyone any favors. A minor injury or discomfort could be enough to keep him on the sideline if he wants to press the issue. And if that happens, the idea of a Patriots upset gets even harder to picture.
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