Insider Questions What's Really Holding Up Patriots and Christian Gonzalez
· Yahoo Sports
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It truly remains uncertain what's holding up the deal between the New England Patriots and Christian Gonzalez.
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The Patriots have been on record, with multiple higher-ups in the organization saying they want to keep Gonzalez around. Right now, it feels like the Patriots either aren't including certain language in his contract, or Gonzalez simply wants more than New England can offer at the moment.
The Patriots are going to make Gonzalez the highest-paid corner in the NFL whenever he decides to take a deal. Barring something drastic happening, he's going to be getting $35-plus million a season, especially after the Devon Witherspoon deal.
However, according to Sports Illustrated NFL insider Albert Breer, the idea that he and the Patriots don't have a deal in place after Witherspoon's contract, with that happening about two weeks ago, is viewed as something odd.
“That Christian Gonzalez and the Patriots haven’t done a deal yet, nine days after Devon Witherspoon got one done in Seattle, makes you wonder who’s holding their line. It’s also worth noting that it has been a long time since New England paid a homegrown player at a premium position at the very top of the market, which is what it’s going to take to get this one done,” Breer wrote.
There's a good possibility that Gonzalez is looking for some sort of protection in this contract.
Obviously, guaranteed money in the NFL is a big thing, so he might want to ensure that nearly all of that is guaranteed. It would be interesting for the Patriots not to give him that, considering how talented he is, but genuinely, it could be anything. Until the deal is signed, questions will remain, and hopefully the Patriots can answer them.