Christian Gonzalez and the New England Patriots have yet to agree on a contract extension with less than one week until the regular-season opener. So, what’s the holdup?
Gonzalez’s trianer since 2023, Christian “Flight” White, joined 98.5 The Sports Hub’s Felger & Mazz on Monday and provided some intel on the negotiations. The good news? White is optimistic a deal will be reached before the Patriots take on the Seattle Seahawks next Wednesday.
“I think we’re getting close,” he said. “Just from his mood, his vibe. I can’t sit here and tell you guys that I’ve talked to him about it. I can just tell, he’s in good spirits so he’s obviously hearing some good things. I wouldn’t be shocked if this gets done before the Seattle game.”
Gonzalez has the same agent as fellow star cornerback Devon Witherspoon, who inked a four-year, $132 million extension with the Seahawks earlier this month. The Patriots were expected to find common ground with Gonzalez shortly after Witherspoon signed, but the two sides remain at an impasse.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported last week that the Patriots have been unwilling to offer Gonzalez a deal like Witherspoon’s, but White refuted that claim.
“I don’t know if it’s gonna be the same guaranteed (money) wise, but I just know the offers have been getting better,” White said. “I know they’re putting a better effort into it. It sounds like there’s a little bit more movement. …
“They have put a deal in place that I think would be slightly better (than Devon Witherspoon’s), but it’s just moreso, have to get the terms down and thinks like that.”
On Day 1 of training camp last month, Patriots owner Robert Kraft claimed that the organization offered Gonzalez a contract that would make him the highest-paid cornerback and the highest-paid Patriot of all time. Gonzalez has indicated that he wasn’t thrilled with Kraft discussing the negotiations with the media.
According to White, Kraft’s comments didn’t tell the whole truth about the situation.
“It was true at the time, but it’s just not all the way true,” he said. “Like, the context is like, yeah we did offer you to be the highest paid, but contract language was kind of trash. So, we kind of had to sort through that stuff to make it make sense.”
While the negotiation process hasn’t gone as smoothly as either side likely hoped, White emphasized that Gonzalez hopes to stay in New England for many years to come.
“He’s expressed to everybody, he wants to be there,” he said. “He just bought a new home up there. Nobody buys a new home a place and then wants to leave that place. …
“He’s fell in love with the place. He wants to be there for however many more years they agree on the extension, and probably even further after that. I’m just hoping they do right by him.”
As White notes, failing to sign Gonzalez before the season could cost the Patriots even more in the long run. If the 24-year-old has a First-Team All-Pro season, for example, he’ll be even more expensive next year when the team also will have to negotiate a lucrative extension with quarterback Drake Maye.
“He’s gonna continue to show them why they should get this done sooner than later,” White said. “I think the longer they wait, the higher the price, at this point.”
