The New England Patriots have not come to terms on an extension with Christian Gonzalez yet, but a new report suggests he may be waiting for a while to get paid.
Gonzalez is one of the best corners in the league, and the Patriots would be wise to extend him. However, he will likely want to be the highest-paid corner in the league, and his camp may be waiting to see what Devon Witherspoon of the Seattle Seahawks’ extension looks like before inking a deal of their own. According to ESPN’s Brady Henderson, the Seahawks and Witherspoon are not close to an extension right now, which means Gonzalez may have to wait longer than expected,
“When the Seahawks and wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba agreed to a four-year, $168.6 million extension in March, it wasn’t just the record size of the deal that stood out,” Henderson wrote on Saturday. “The largest contract in franchise history came together quickly and without a whiff of drama, the news breaking before any reports emerged that the two sides had even begun talking. The Seahawks then turned their attention to an extension for star cornerback Devon Witherspoon, a three-time Pro Bowl selection and standout of their Super Bowl LX victory. But the other big-ticket item on their offseason to-do list has not progressed nearly as easily. Seattle made an initial offer several weeks ago, according to a league source, but the two sides do not yet appear to be close to an agreement.”
The current largest contract for a corner in NFL history belongs to Tret McDuffie, who signed an extension after being traded from the Kansas City Chiefs to the Los Angeles Rams this offseason. It’s safe to assume Gonzalez will want more than the four-year, $124 million McDuffie got, as will Witherspoon. Both players would be wise to wait and try to beat out the other’s numbers as well.
After the season ended, Gonzalez noted that he wants to remain with the Patriots, but would not go into detail about contract talks.
“I’m not really trying to get into all of that,” Gonzalez said of the specifics of getting an extension done after the Super Bowl. “I mean, it’s kind of more my agents, they’ll deal with that and keep me up to speed on it. Coming in today, I just wanted to see the guys, hang out with them a couple more times. I mean, it’s the last time this full team, coaching staff will be in the building. So, focus on that. Hanging out with the guys one more time today. And, you know, my agents and (Mike Vrabel) and all, they’ll talk.”
Both Witherspoon and Gonzalez have the same agent. Both players are worthy of resetting the cornerback market, but given how the Seahawks have operated in the past, it seems more likely that Gonzalez’s extension will come after Witherspoon’s.
More NFL: Insider Reveals Key To Winning Patriots Third-String Running Back Job
