Apparently, the New England Patriots are ultra serious about locking down Christian Gonzalez for the long haul.
“We love Christian Gonzalez. We love him as a player and as a person. That’s why we’ve made an offer to him that makes him the highest-paid player ever to play that position in the NFL, and, coincidentally, it’s the highest contract in Patriots’ franchise history,” Patriots owner Robert Kraft said on Saturday when asked about Gonzalez, who’s extension-eligible, at team training camp, according to ESPN.
“So, we’re glad we drafted him, and he’s developed here, and we hope he’ll be with us for a long time.”
Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel said that contract talks with Gonzalez were “ongoing” on Friday. The contract to beat for an NFL cornerback in both total money and average annual value is Trent McDuffie’s four-year, $124 million deal with the Los Angeles Rams ($31 million AAV), which also included a record $100 million guaranteed for a cornerback.
Meanwhile, the contract to beat in Patriots history in both total money and average annual value is defensive tackle Milton Williams’ four-year, $104 million deal ($26 million AAV), which he signed with the franchise in March 2025.
Regarding Gonzalez, the soon-to-be fourth-year cornerback is coming off a 2025 campaign where he earned his first career Pro Bowl nod, totaling 10 passes defended, 69 combined tackles and just one missed tackle across 14 regular-season games, according to Pro Football Focus; he missed three games due to a hamstring injury.
Then, across New England’s four postseason games, Gonzalez totaled an NFL-high seven passes defended in the postseason and reeled in an ultimate game-sealing interception against the Denver Broncos in the AFC Championship Game with 2:11 remaining in the fourth quarter.
The year prior (2024), Gonzalez brought down two interceptions and recorded 11 passes defended, which came after his 2023 rookie campaign was cut short after four games due to a shoulder injury. New England selected Gonzalez with the No. 17 pick in the 2023 NFL Draft out of Oregon.