New England Patriots
“He shut everything down when we played him. We couldn’t squeeze a drop.”
Christian Gonzalez had a dominant season with New England in 2025. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)
July 8, 2026 | 8:12 AM
2 minutes to read
As he awaits a hefty new payday, Christian Gonzalez’s stock is continuing to soar.
Every year, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler polls coaches, football execs, and other personnel in order to compile a list of the top 10 players at each position in the NFL.
And in ESPN’s latest ranking, Gonzalez was ranked as the third-best cornerback in the league — a rise from a No. 6 ranking last year.
The only corners who ranked higher than Gonzalez were Houston’s Derek Stingley Jr. (No. 2) and Denver’s Pat Surtain II (No. 1).
“He shut everything down when we played him,” one NFL offensive coach told Fowler. “We couldn’t squeeze a drop. He was the main reason why. Size, ball skills, can play press or man, he’s got it all.”
Gonzalez’s continued ascension as one of the league’s top defensive players played a key role in New England’s surprise run to Super Bowl LX.
In 14 games for New England in 2025, Gonzalez posted 69 tackles, 10 passes defended, and one tackle for loss.
“His game is a bit finesse at times,” one NFL personnel evaluator told Fowler. “But he’s got tons of traits — long, can run and cover. The idea of the position is to cover the other guy, and he can do that very well.”
Even if he’s not the most physical corner, Gonzalez elevated his game during New England’s latest playoff run, recording an interception, a sack, and breaking up seven total passes over four playoff games.
He saved his best game for the Patriots’ eventual loss to Seattle in Super Bowl LX — finishing with three pass breakups that took two potential Seahawks touchdowns off the board.
“Gonzalez was especially dominant in the playoffs, when he allowed 14 completions on 36 targets,” Fowler added.” His 38.8 completion percentage allowed was the lowest by any player to face 25 or more targets in a postseason since at least 2018, per NFL Next Gen Stats.
These new rankings should further bolster Gonzalez’s case as he looks to sign one of the largest contracts in NFL history.
Gonzalez, whose fifth-year option was picked up by New England this spring, is officially under contract with New England for both the upcoming 2026 and 2027 seasons.
But Gonzalez is waiting for an even larger payout now that he’s eligible to sign a long-term deal.
Even though Gonzalez was present during New England’s mandatory minicamp practices last month, the 24-year-old cornerback was candid about wanting to put pen to paper on a lucrative new contract.
“Of course I want to be here,” Gonzalez said in June of staying in New England. “I’ve said this multiple times. I’ve been drafted here. I want to be rewarded as a Patriot, and I love this town. I love this city. So, yeah, of course I want to be here.”
“We got a long time to the season, so we’re still in, pretty early in the offseason, so I’m focused on being here, being here for the team, and doing my role and what I’m here for this weekend, and focused on that,” he added when asked about playing during the upcoming 2026 campaign without a new contract in place.
Conor Ryan is a staff writer covering the Bruins, Celtics, Patriots, and Red Sox for Boston.com, a role he has held since 2023.
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