Patriots Star Reacts to Pro Bowl Snub

With a 4-13 regular season in the books for the New England Patriots, it's safe to assume this roster wasn't one to have a wide range of Pro Bowl talents on board.

In the end, the Patriots had two Pro Bowl selections to hang their hat on –– special teamer Brendan Schooler and rookie Drake Maye, an injury replacement for Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen.

Yet, there was one other player in the mix who had an appealing case to get those Pro Bowl honors who never got it: second-year cornerback Christian Gonzalez.

Gonzalez finished his second season in the league with a healthy, dominant showing after an injury-riddled campaign derailed his rookie year –– proving to be one of the league's bright stars in the secondary. The Oregon product managed to land second-team All-Pro honors, but all was quiet on the Pro Bowl front.

However, when asking Gonzalez, he doesn't seem to take the Pro Bowl snub too hard, considering he dubbed the event as a "popularity contest" during an interview with NBC Sports Boston.

“All-Pro was my bigger goal. Pro Bowl is a popularity contest at the end of the day," Gonzalez said. "Obviously, I wanted first-team, but I mean, it’s nice to hear my name in there. I feel like I ain’t even scratch the surface. There’s a lot of room I can grow… So much better I can get. So I’m excited for it."

Gonzalez just missed out on an All-Pro first-team selection this season, with those honors instead going to Derek Stingley of the Houston Texans and eventual 2024 Defensive Player of the Year recipient Patrick Surtain II of the Denver Broncos.

It's a tough crowd of cornerbacks to compete in for that top All-Pro spot, but Gonzalez not only has the potential to get there in due time, but he's motivated too.

Gonzalez finished his second season in New England with two interceptions, 11 passes defended, and 59 combined tackles. He even landed top-five in Comeback Player of the Year voting after returning from his season-ending shoulder injury.

Yet, in the words of the Patriots' 22-year-old, he's only starting to scratch the surface.

Expect to see Gonzalez continue to rise up the ranks as one of the NFL's top defenders, with or without a Pro Bowl selection to come along with it.

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