FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) — The New England Patriots are showing cornerback Christian Gonzalez how much he's valued.
Team owner Robert Kraft said Saturday that the star cornerback has been offered the highest contract in Patriots history.
“We love Christian Gonzalez. We love him as a player, 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,” Kraft said before the team's opening training camp practice. “Coincidentally, it's the highest contract in Patriots franchise history.”
Kraft didn't provide details on the offer. But Los Angeles Rams cornerback Trent McDuffie's four-year contract currently tops NFL cornerbacks with an average yearly value of approximately $31 million.
The Patriots picked up Gonzalez's fifth-year option in April, meaning he will make just over $18 million in the final year of his rookie deal in 2027. But he entered the offseason seeking long-term security beyond that.
He apparently will soon have it with this extension offer.
For his part, Gonzalez has been confident that something would be worked out with the club, while remaining a presence around the team.
After skipping voluntary offseason workouts last month, Gonzalez was present for New England’s three-day mandatory minicamp. He was back on the field for Saturday’s first training camp workout.
Gonzalez is easily the team’s most important player in the secondary, earning his first Pro Bowl selection last season after posting 69 tackles, 10 pass breakups and one tackle for a loss in 2025.
Fellow cornerback Marcus Jones said Friday that though he hadn't discussed details of the situation with Gonzalez, he was confident Gonzalez wants to remain in New England.
“Gonzo loves it here,” Jones said. “I know that for a fact.”
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