One notable New England Patriots player feels that he should have already been rewarded by now.
Patriots cornerback Christian Gonzalez spoke with reporters on Tuesday after practice. Gonzalez has been negotiating a new extension with the team for much of the offseason but still has not been able to get a deal done.
“It’s frustrating, but I’m focused on the season,” said Gonzalez, per Mike Reiss of ESPN. “I’m focused on here now. I’m focused on Week 1 at this point.
“I mean, it’s been all offseason, so I feel like the line of today is, ‘It is what it is,'” Gonzalez added. “There’s certain things that go into a contract, but my team knows what we want, so it kind of depends how you put it.”
Gonzalez, 24, has already made a strong argument to be one of the highest-paid CBs in the league. A former first-round pick by the Patriots in 2023 (No. 17 overall), Gonzalez was an All-Pro in 2024 as well as a Pro Bowler in 2025. Last season for New England, Gonzalez logged 69 combined tackles and 10 passes defended, becoming a cornerstone of the defense that made it all the way to Super Bowl LX against the Seattle Seahawks.
As it stands right now, Gonzalez is signed for a modest $2.8 million cash value this season (though that number will jump to $18.1 million in 2027). But Gonzalez has had a frustrating offseason in some other regards, and is now expressing some discontent with his continued lack of a new contract as the Sept. 9 season opener approaches.
