New England Patriots
“I imagine that he’s going to get a huge deal,” Ian Rapoport said. “I imagine that the Patriots will make it work, I just don’t know that it’s going to be imminent.”
Christian Gonzalez could sign an extension with the Patriots this offseason. AP Photo/Steve Luciano
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As the contract stands right now, Christian Gonzalez is a year away from earning a massive pay raise.
But, the odds that the Patriots end up reworking his deal before the beginning of the season are pretty good, NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport said during a recent appearance on “The Pat McAfee Show.”
“Before the season, I think there’s a good chance,” Rapoport said. “Next couple of days, I have not heard that.”
Gonzalez is scheduled to make $2.2 million this season. The team exercised his fifth-year option, which will bump his salary to $18.1 million in 2027.
But, with the Pro Bowl cornerback absent from the team’s voluntary OTAs, it appears that Gonzalez is attempting to exercise some leverage.
When asked about Gonzalez’s absence on Tuesday, coach Mike Vrabel said he expects Gonzalez to be back at practice next week for mandatory minicamp.
“If he is, then we’ll coach him, be ready to move on, and get him ready to help us and help himself,” Vrabel said. “Contracts are part of professional sports, I understand that. But I also know that those should remain private. Like any contract negotiation, you want to make sure that everybody feels like they get something out of it, and I’ll leave it at that.”
Gonzalez earned his first Pro Bowl selection this past season and was a bright spot in the Patriots’ Super Bowl loss to the Seahawks. The 2024 first-round pick earned a second-team All-Pro nod during his rookie season and is considered to be one of the top young cornerbacks in the game.
“I imagine that he’s going to get a huge deal,” Rapoport said. “I imagine that the Patriots will make it work, I just don’t know that it’s going to be imminent.”
“He is a great player. He deserves all of the dollars. It’s just a matter of when that thing can get done and how high.”
Khari A. Thompson
Khari Thompson covers professional sports for Boston.com. Before joining the team in 2022, Khari covered college football for The Clarion Ledger in Jackson, Miss.
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