The New England Patriots had a pair of Pro Bowlers last season in quarterback Drake Maye and cornerback Christian Gonzalez.
The young, blue-chip duo played a major role in New England’s turnaround and run to Super Bowl LX last season, and both appear positioned to be franchise pillars for Mike Vrabel’s squad for the foreseeable future.
Keeping them in place long term, however, will require what are expected to be significant contract extensions. Speaking with reporters at the NFL Annual League Meetings
in Arizona on Monday, owner Robert Kraft expressed confidence that both deals will eventually get done.
“We always try,” Kraft said. “We have a salary cap, so we have a limit. So, we have to think what’s best for the team in terms of timing of the signing and of course, the earlier you do it, it’s believed it’s more economically satisfactory. But we leave that to Mike Vrabel, Eliot Wolf and our people making contract decisions. We’re lucky to have those two players and I hope and believe they’ll be with us for the long term.”
Drafted a year before Maye, the timing means a decision will have to be made first on Gonzalez’s deal. Coming off a speculator postseason run — which ended with three pass breakups in the Super Bowl — the 23-year-old is now eligible to sign an extension as his current deal runs through next season, while the team can exercise his fifth-year option for the 2027 season.
The Patriots’ brass have made it clear this offseason that the plan is to extend their All-Pro cornerback — something executive vice president of player personnel Eliot Wolf reiterated Monday on the Up & Adams Show.
“Christian’s a tremendous player. It’s no secret that we’d like to try to get something done with him,” Wolf said. “He’s a great talent. He’s one of the best players at his position in the NFL. He’s developing as a leader… He’s really just scratching the surface. He’s already up there as an elite talent and we think he can improve even more.”
The Patriots will have another year before Maye then becomes eligible for an extension — one that could also reset the market at his respective position after the 23-year-old was named a second-team All-Pro last season. His rookie deal takes him through the 2027 season, with a fifth-year team option for 2028.
