New England Patriots
Gonzalez is looking for an extension that would pay him top NFL corner money.
Christian Gonzalez missed the beginning of New England’s voluntary offseason program. (Vera Nieuwenhuis/AP Content Services for the NFL)
Christian Gonzalez was noticeably absent from Patriots voluntary OTAs this week, and that isn’t a coincidence.
The corner is eligible for an extension, and is not likely to suit up until a deal gets done, according to NBC Sports Boston’s Tom Curran. Gonzalez is only set to make $4 million this season on his rookie contract, despite being an All-Pro and Pro Bowler in 2024 and 2025, respectively.
“He is not going to play for $4 million,” Curran said. “He should be making 32-35 million dollars a year. He is not going to take a rep in anger until he is being paid commensurate to what he has to do.”
Patriots insider @tomecurran on Christian Gonzalez missing OTA’s
🎥: @NBCSBoston
“He is not going to play for 4 million dollars…he should be making 32-35 million dollars a year. He is not going to take a rep in anger until he is being paid commensurate to what he has to do.” pic.twitter.com/73x2Qsbht7
— Savage (@Savageboston) May 28, 2026
That means Gonzalez is potentially on holdout watch if negotiations linger into the start of training camp.
It’s also worth noting New England recently restructured the contract of veteran guard Mike Onwenu, clearing cap space for 2026 by converting some of Onwenu’s salary into a signing bonus. The Patriots weren’t exactly up against the cap even before the move, so they now have increased flexibility to get Gonzalez extended, even if they also wind up taking on A.J. Brown’s contract in a heavily rumored potential trade with the Eagles.
Gonzalez has been a stellar addition to New England’s secondary since he was drafted in the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft. His rookie campaign showed promise, but was ended abruptly due to a shoulder injury. The past two seasons have lived up to that rookie hype, as Gonzalez has transcended into the upper echelon of NFL cornerbacks.
New England will be due to pay both him and Drake Maye soon, as the pair are far outperforming their rookie deals already.
In terms of what the Patriots could expect to pay, the Rams certainly didn’t do them any favors by making Trent McDuffie the highest-paid corner in the NFL this offseason at 4 years, $124 million. Gonzalez is arguably a better corner than McDuffie, or at the very least is on the same tier of player, so he can leverage that contract against New England in negotiations.
Another similar comparison to Gonzalez would be Patrick Surtain’s 4-year, $96 million deal that he signed in 2024. However, that would be a bargain rate for Gonzalez at this point given how quickly the market shifted over the last two years.
When Gonzalez does finally suit up for the Patriots is anybody’s guess, but fans shouldn’t expect to see him until his extension is done, or at least close.
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