Today’s NFL cornerback market has former New England Patriots star Stephon Gilmore wishing he were a few years younger.
Gilmore was an elite shutdown corner for most of his career, especially from 2017-20 with New England. He joined the Patriots on a five-year, $65 million contract ($40M guaranteed) and was rewarded for his 2019 Defensive Player of the Year campaign with a $5.5 million raise for the 2020 season.
Those figures pale in comparison to what the league’s top cornerbacks are earning these days. Seattle Seahawks CB Devon Witherspoon reset the market last month with a four-year, $132M contract extension ($101M guaranteed). Los Angeles Rams CB Trent McDuffie inked a four-year, $124M extension ($100M guaranteed) in March.
Christian Gonzalez and the Patriots still haven’t come to terms on a contract extension with less than one week until the team’s season opener in Seattle. If and when the two sides agree on a deal, Gonzalez could overtake Witherspoon as the league’s highest-paid corner.
Gilmore believes Gonzalez deserves to be the highest-paid player at the position. The Super Bowl champion respects that Gonzalez excels in man coverage — much like he did throughout his illustrious career — and can shut down one side of the field.
“I think it’s easy to find zone guys. Anybody can out there and play zone,” Gilmore said on 98.5 The Sports Hub’s Zolak & Bertrand. “Unless you’re a guy that can really lock on to the number one receivers, shut them down — I remember sometimes in the games when I was in New England, we put another corner on the guy and we double teamed them, and we put me on the best guy and made them throw it to me, and I took on that challenge week in and week out. I think the guys that deserve to be the highest paid, they should be able to take on those challenges also and be successful at it.
“I think Christian has all the ability to do it. He’s been consistent, he had a great Super Bowl performance. … He’s got all the intangibles to do it. All the corners in the league now, it’s just the consistency of doing it year in and year out.”
Mike Vrabel addressed several questions regarding Christian Gonzalez’s status for Week 1 as the cornerback continues to navigate contract negotiations, and Vrabel stated that he expects Gonzalez to play.
Gilmore understands what it’s like to enter a new season with contract uncertainty. Before the 2021 season — the final year of his deal with New England — he sought an extension and held out from mandatory minicamp while recovering from a torn quad. He was an active participant in team meetings throughout training camp, but after spending the first two months of the season on the PUP list, he was traded to the Carolina Panthers.
Of course, Gonzalez’s situation is different. The 24-year-old is healthy, in the prime of his career, and under contract through 2027.
Gonzalez has been non-committal about suiting up for Week 1 without a new contract. Zolak asked Gilmore if he would play without a new deal if he were in Gonzalez’s situation.
“Honestly, I’m probably not,” Gilmore answered. “The thing I would struggle with, too, I think Christian is — whoever’s the highest paid, I think he’s better than those guys. I think he shows way more man coverage than those guys. … McDuffie, he was the highest paid. I think Witherspoon’s pretty good. I think (Patrick) Surtain (II) is the top. … But the style (Gonzalez) plays, I think he can play a lot of man coverage. He can lock on to guys.
“I think he deserves to get what he’s earned, because those guys got it with no problem. I think he deserves it. … Sometimes, it’s just the situation you’re in, because if he was somewhere else and they wanted to get it over with, they would just do it. So, sometimes, things take time.”
For what it’s worth, Gonzalez’s trainer is optimistic the two sides will agree on a deal before next Wednesday’s season opener. That would be a massive relief for the Patriots, because having a focused and committed Gonzalez is crucial as they look to make another run at a Super Bowl title.
Check out Zolak & Bertrand’s full conversation with Gilmore below:
