Ethan Hurwitz: Patriots Locked Christian Gonzalez Down

The New England Patriots regained control of the NFL headlines overnight, agreeing to a four-year, $135 million contract extension with superstar cornerback Christian Gonzalez. That deal, which includes an NFL-high $102 million guaranteed, makes Gonzalez the highest-paid Patriots player of all time.

Months of chatter surrounding Gonzalez are finally over, and both sides can settle down for the team's AFC title defense.

I've been open about how the Patriots, at times, looked like they were fumbling these negotiations. Every time Gonzalez was speaking to the media, it opened the door for the cornerback to express his frustration. It was getting exhausting, clearly. An already-quiet player had to try and shut down even more so he wouldn't talk about it.

Mike Vrabel, Eliot Wolf, Ryan Cowden and Robert Kraft all had to answer about these contracts talks during the summer. This was easily the story of the summer. It wasn't in a positive light though. Most of the time, the Patriots as an organization were seen as the adversaries — the ones who didn't want to give their superstar his money.

After Seattle Seahawks cornerback Devon Witherspoon, who shares the same agent as Gonzalez, got his deal earlier in the summer, it was only a matter of time.

But it was bad business to let this fester all summer. Gonzalez was a trooper, practicing every day (in full pads) that he could. Even without a contract, the 24-year-old kept at it. And yet, Kraft's very public comments about his deal opened up this can of worms.

Feb 8, 2026; Santa Clara, CA, USA; New England Patriots cornerback Christian Gonzalez (0) defends against Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Cooper Kupp (10) during the third quarter in Super Bowl LX at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Now we can stop talking about it, Gonzalez doesn't need to hold back behind the microphone and the Patriots can move on and focus on their season opener tomorrow.

But I worry, will the way this contract negotiation go potentially leave a bad taste in the mouth of Drake Maye? After all, the quarterback is up for a hefty raise next offseason and there's no way that Patriots don't pay that. But that's a conversation for 2027.

The Patriots deserve praise for getting a deal hammered out before they kick off the regular season. This isn't a knock on them getting it done. In fact, I'm giving all my kudos to the team for giving a second contract to their first first round pick since Dont'a Hightower got his back in 2017.

They shouldn't be using this as a guideline for future extension talks, though. Getting deals done earlier and relatively out of the spotlight should be what happens, not the other way around.

Maybe I'm being too critical. After all, the Patriots are happy. Gonzalez is happy, posting a thank you message to his Instagram story this morning. New England as a whole is happy. I'm happy too.

Let's all be happy. Now Gonzalez and his heavier pockets can let the play do the talking.

Extra Points:

There's a part of me that worries about the mental sanity of this fanbase once Maye becomes eligible for a contract extension. There's no reason why that deal won't get done, and if we're being honest, it would likely make Maye the highest-paid player in NFL history. But people (rightfully) started to get fed up about how long this Gonzalez contract took. If we get into late June/early July without an extension for Maye, all six states of New England might collectively explode.

The Patriots announced that they'll be wearing white-on-blue for the season opener, the first time they've worn that combination since Week 7 of last year (a 31-13 win over the Tennessee Titans). This combination was first unveiled in 2020, and it was first worn against the Seahawks in Week 2 of that year. That also happens to be the last time New England made a trip to Seattle, in case you're interested in uniform full circles.

Special teams coordinator Jeremy Springer were particularly mum on who would return kicks this season. We saw plenty of guys get chances during the summer months, including Lan Larison, Efton Chism III, Kyle Williams and Channing Canada. We'll get a definitive answer this week, and that's a spot that needs a bounce-back year.

I don't think TreVeyon Henderson suits up. That isn't anything groundbreaking, but the running back hasn't practiced once since Aug. 24. He's been in the locker room, has casually chatted with reporters during media availability, but hasn't been able to shake that twisted ankle he suffered on the team's lower practice field last month. That's a major loss for the offense (though backup running back Corey Kiner is confident in his abilities with a larger opportunity).

In the Super Bowl, the Patriots got gashed by eventual MVP Kenneth Walker III. Now he's with the Kansas City Chiefs and the Seahawks are rolling with first round pick Jadarian Price to carry the load. Defensive coordinator Zak Kuhr spoke about how the team prepped for Price's debut by watching his college tape at Notre Dame, and envisioning those plays inside Seattle's offensive scheme. That's easier said than done, and how the Patriots' front seven holds up will dictate the game flow early on.

Make sure you bookmark New England Patriots on SI for the latest news, exclusive interviews, film breakdowns, and so much more!

Add us as a preferred source on Google