While Christian Gonzalez will watch Devon Witherspoon and the Seattle Seahawks celebrate their Super Bowl LX victory on Wednesday night, the New England Patriots cornerback will have something else over his counterpart in the NFL’s regular-season opener.
Gonzalez and the Patriots have agreed to an extension that will make him the highest-paid cornerback in NFL history, according to multiple reports. Gonzalez will receive a four-year, $135 million deal with $102 million in guaranteed money, ESPN reported late Monday night.
With a $33.75 million average annual salary, Gonzalez slightly bests the contract extension that Witherspoon signed in August that made the Seahawks star the highest-paid cornerback in NFL history. Witherspoon agreed to a four-year, $132 million extension ($33 million average annual value) with $101 million guaranteed.
Even though Gonzalez still has two seasons remaining on his rookie contract, his contract talks were at the forefront during Patriots training camp. Patriots owner Robert Kraft said in July that the team had made Gonzalez an offer that would make him the highest-paid cornerback in NFL history, but Gonzalez’s trainer said that the language of the contract was “kind of trash.”
Gonzalez didn’t seem to refute his trainer’s comments when he spoke with reporters when he spoke with reporters last week.
“He can speak his mind. He’s got his thoughts, I’ve got mine,” Gonzalez said, “but I back everything he says. He backs everything I say. That’s kind of our relationship. We talk every day. He’s going to say what he’s going to say.”
Gonzalez added in comments to MassLive that he was “still frustrated” that he and the Patriots had yet to reach an agreement on an extension.
Now, Gonzalez and the Patriots can shift their attention to the 2026 regular season, which begins Wednesday night in Seattle. As New England was largely dominated in Super Bowl LX, Gonzalez put up an impressive performance in that game. He allowed just one catch on five targets for 16 yards, per Pro Football Focus, as Offensive Player of the Year Jaxon Smith-Njigba struggled to make an impact.
That performance capped off a Pro Bowl year for Gonzalez. He didn’t have an interception in the regular season, but he allowed just one touchdown and had the game-sealing interception in the Patriots’ AFC Championship Game win over the Denver Broncos.
Gonzalez, 24, also earned a second-team All-Pro nod for his play in 2024. The Patriots took Gonzalez with the 16th overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft.
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