Patriots' Christian Gonzalez Shares Thoughts on Potential Extension

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The New England Patriots have a decision to make when it comes to star cornerback Christian Gonzalez, and the 23-year-old made it known where he lies.
"Oh, yeah, no doubt," Gonzalez said when asked if he wants to sign a contract extension this offseason during the team's locker room clean-out day, per the Boston Herald. "This is where I got drafted, and I don’t want to be anywhere else."
Soon to be entering his fourth season, Gonzalez is now extension-eligible and will likely garner a top-of-the-market deal. The Pro Bowler and Second Team All-Pro cornerback is widely considered one of the top cornerbacks in the NFL, and his performance in Super Bowl LX was just icing on the cake. He broke up three passes -- one of which was an acrobatic play to save a long catch from Rashid Shaheed.
Gonzalez Is Extension-Eligible For 2026
But just because Gonzalez wants to stay doesn't mean he'll be involved in the contract negotiations that may arise.
"I’m not really trying to get into all of that," Gonzalez said. "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, (I) focus on that."

Gonzalez put together a 2025 campaign that will warrant a hefty contract extension or the team at least picking up his fifth-year option for the 2027 season. Other cornerbacks across the league (Sauce Gardner, Patrick Surtain II, Derek Stingley Jr.) have all gotten big extensions, but Gonzalez won't share what he's hoping to get.
"My agents and (head coach Mike Vrabel) and all, they’ll talk," he said.
And while Gonzalez might keep it hush-hush on the financials, one of his teammates hopes he gets the major money in the offseason.
"I’m so happy for him, so proud of him," fellow cornerback Carlton Davis said. "He’s such a great kid outside of football, which is more important. It shows on the field. You can see it game in and game out. Super proud of him. One of the best corners in the league right now. And he deserves his payday for sure.”

Ethan Hurwitz is a writer for Patriots on SI. He works to find out-of-the-box stories that change the way you look at sports. He’s covered the behind-the-scenes discussions behind Ivy League football, how a stuffed animal helped a softball team’s playoff chances and tracked down a fan who caught a historic hockey stick. Ethan graduated from Quinnipiac University with both a bachelor’s and master’s degree in journalism, and oversaw The Quinnipiac Chronicle’s sports coverage for almost three years.
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