As Christian Gonzalez took the field for Day 1 of New England Patriots training camp, he did so without a contract extension.
That did not stop him from participating in full. It also did not stop Drake Maye, who was looking to start training camp with a bang, from testing the No. 1 cornerback immediately.
Lined up across from A.J. Brown on the team’s first 11-on-11 play, Gonzalez saw Maye’s pass intended for the star receiver hit the turf.
“I think that shows his main focus, and that’s football. He’s
the best corner in the league in my opinion. He’s not the big rah-rah guy. He does it his own way, but he does it at the highest level. So I’m glad to be his teammate,” Maye said. “Gonzo is someone I look up to even at the same age. I look up to how he does things, how he handles himself, and just his swagger he has in his own way. I think it’s great to see him out here playing around. And I think you saw it in the locker room before.
“Everybody was wondering, ‘What’s Gonzo gonna do?’ And he’s coming out here and first play he’s guarding A.J. in man coverage.”
Gonzalez’s participation level was a change from this past spring. During mandatory minicamp, the cornerback watched from the sideline once practice shifted to full-team periods.
As Maye noted, Gonzalez’s participation level while awaiting a lucrative contract extension was one of the biggest storylines entering training camp. On Day 1, he answered those questions by participating fully.
“He’s a team guy, and he’s not gonna let whatever’s going on, you know, he’s out here with us,” cornerback Carlton Davis said. “That’s all I can say about that is he’s out here with us, and he’s always been a good guy. He’s always been a team player.”
“That’s just who he is,“ added Milton Williams. ”He want to be here and he’s showing up for us even though he’s got his situation going on. But he’s letting everyone know that he wants to be here and I feel like the contract will handle itself.“
Prior to practice beginning, owner Robert Kraft shared that the team had offered Gonzalez an extension that would pay him as the highest paid cornerback in league history — which would then make him the highest paid Patriot of all-time. Gonzalez’s play has been worthy of that status, while his participation on Saturday may hint that the sides are closing in on an agreement.
“He’s definitely one of the best corners in the league and definitely deserves to be paid as such,” Davis said. “So, yeah, he’s deserving of all of it.”
