As the New England Patriots transitioned from the second to the third phase of their voluntary offseason workout program, they did so without cornerback Christian Gonzalez in the building. Despite earlier participation, the Pro Bowl cornerback opted to stay away recently in an apparent contract dispute.
Eligible for a contract extension for the first time in his career, the fourth-year cornerback saw his fifth-year contract option exercised earlier in the offseason. Negotiations about a long-term
deal, however, have not yielded the desired results just yet.
And yet, head coach Mike Vrabel believes that Gonzalez will be with his teammates come next week’s mandatory minicamp.
“I think the contract is the business and the professional side of this. The personal side, I don’t want to let anything interfere with that,” Vrabel said. “I want Christian to be ready when he comes back. I would imagine that he would be here next week. If he is, then we’ll coach him, be ready to move on, and get him ready to help us and help himself.”
Gonzalez joined the Patriots as the 17th overall selection in the 2023 NFL Draft, and despite missing most of his rookie season because of a shoulder injury already proved himself one of the top young cornerbacks in the league. In his two healthy seasons since, he continued to develop and earned All-Pro and Pro Bowl recognition while further established himself as arguably a top three player in the league at his position.
Naturally, the 23-year-old hopes to be compensated accordingly. He is due to earn just $2.8 million in cash in 2026, followed by $18.119 million on the fifth-year option in 2027. While that is still a significant cash intake, it pales in comparison to what the other top corners in football will be earning over the next two years.
“Contracts are part of professional sports, I understand that,” Vrabel added. “But I also know that those should remain private. Like any contract negotiation, you want to make sure that everybody feels like they get something out of it, and I’ll leave it at that.”
The Patriots will hold mandatory minicamp next week, June 9-11.
