One of the biggest questions surrounding the New England Patriots in recent weeks is whether Christian Gonzalez would play in the season opener against the Seattle Seahawks on his current contract.
Both Gonzalez and Patriots coach Mike Vrabel have swatted the question down in more ways than swinging at a mosquito. But that hasn't stopped reporters from asking, and it certainly hasn't stopped individuals from wondering if the star cornerback will be in the defensive backfield for New England during the Super Bowl rematch.
Former NFL Defensive Player of the Year Stephon Gilmore knows what he would most likely do if he were in Gonzalez's situation.
"Honestly, I'm probably not," Gilmore responded when asked if he'd play, during an appearance on Zolak
& Bertrand. "But the thing that I would struggle with, too, I think Christian is, I guess whoever the highest-paid, I think he's better than those guys. I think he shows way more man coverage than those guys."
Would Stephon Gilmore play Week 1 without a contract extension?
— 98.5 The Sports Hub (@985TheSportsHub) September 3, 2026
"Honestly, I'm probably not. The thing I would struggle with too is, whoever the highest paid is, I think [Christian Gonzalez] is better than those guys"@ZoandBertrand @JoeyMurr
📷 IMAGN IMAGES pic.twitter.com/kx8iLmYXRt
The hope is that a deal gets done before the season to put everything to bed for good. It doesn't benefit the Patriots to have to be thinking about Gonzalez's availability ahead of the first game of the season against the defending Super Bowl champions.
There isn't much to be excited about down the depth chart. Without Gonzalez, the Patriots' defense could be in real trouble.
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This article originally appeared on Patriots Wire: Stephon Gilmore would 'probably not' play if he was Christian Gonzalez
