FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – After more than a decade in the NFL, Kevin Byard has seen plenty of elite cornerbacks. He says Christian Gonzalez stands above them all.
"I'm excited to play with this whole secondary, but obviously you got the best corner in the league in my opinion," Byard told reporters on Thursday. "(Gonzalez is) the best player I've ever played with as far as the corner position, it's going to drastically kinda change how I see things and how he sees things. Super excited to be able to play with him."
Byard, whose locker sits just next to Gonzalez's, has gotten to know the star defender very well since signing with the team. He has also gotten a front-row seat to the ongoing contract negotiations Gonzalez is involved in with the Patriots'
front office.
"I kinda respect the privacy of that," Byard said of the negotiations. "Obviously, I want him out there. I think we all do. We all want him to get paid. But at the end of the day, that's between him and the organization. Obviously, of course I'm a player, so I wanna see him be the highest-paid corner in the league. That's something I think we anticipate happening, but we just don't know when."
Having this support from his teammates is not something Gonzalez takes lightly, speaking exclusively with Patriots Wire about Byard's comments.
"I mean, it's great to hear. I know those are my guys and I know they'e going to be there, especially in the back end," Gonzalez said. "We're together so much. So he's a great player, a great vet. Excited to be out there with him."
Byard began his career with the Tennessee Titans, being selected in the third round of the 2016 NFL Draft. Then, when Mike Vrabel took over as head coach, the duo began working together. Byard remained with the Titans until 2023, when he was traded to the Philadelphia Eagles in October. However, his stint with them was short-lived, as he was released at the end of the season and ultimately signed by the Chicago Bears in 2024 for one year.
And now, he's back with Vrabel in New England, entering his 11th year in the league.
"It's awesome. It means a lot coming from a, I think he's in Year 11," Gonzalez said. "So he's played with a lot of people. It definitely means a lot, and just glad he's here and glad he gets to be in my back end."
But, as for whether a deal will get done before the season opener in Seattle, Gonzalez kept his answer short and simple.
"I'm not sure," he stated.
Follow Patriots Wire on Twitter and Facebook.
This article originally appeared on Patriots Wire: Christian Gonzalez isn't taking Kevin Byard’s praise for granted
