New England Patriots cornerback Christian Gonzalez acknowledged his contract negotiations with the team, stating his desire to keep discussions private. Owner Robert Kraft publicly revealed on the first day of training camp that the team had made Gonzalez an offer intended to make him the highest-paid cornerback in NFL history and the highest-paid player in Patriots franchise history.
"Yeah, I mean, everyone knows what Mr. Kraft has done. A ton of respect for Mr. Kraft and what he’s done for this franchise," Gonzalez said Tuesday, the fourth day of training camp. "It’s just something we don’t want to handle in the media. I keep that with the team and my team, and go about that."
When asked if Kraft's public remarks had bothered him, Gonzalez declined to comment but expressed optimism about reaching an agreement. "I hope so," he said when asked if he believes a deal will be finalized.
Gonzalez has participated fully in training camp practices as negotiations continue. "These are my guys," he stated. "It’s hard to just sit and watch." He also confirmed his intention to participate in padded practices.
Kraft had previously praised Gonzalez, stating, "We love Christian Gonzalez. We love him as a player, as a person, and that’s why we’ve made an offer to him to make him the highest-paid player to ever play that position in the NFL. And coincidentally, it is the highest contract in Patriots franchise history. So we’re glad we drafted him, he’s developed here, and we hope he’ll be with us for a long time."
Gonzalez is entering his fourth NFL season. He was selected 17th overall by New England in the 2023 NFL Draft and currently has two years remaining on his contract, with a base salary of $2.259 million for the current year.