While Christian Gonzalez will watch Devon Witherspoon and the Seattle Seahawks celebrate their victory in Super Bowl LX on Wednesday night, the New England Patriots cornerback will have something else over his counterpart in the NFL regular season opener.
According to multiple reports, Gonzalez and the Patriots have agreed to an extension that will make him the highest-paid player in NFL history. Gonzalez will receive a four-year, $135 million deal with $102 million in guaranteed money. ESPN reported late Monday night.
With an average annual salary of $33.75 million, Gonzalez slightly exceeds the contract extension Witherspoon signed in August that made the Seahawks star the highest-paid linebacker in NFL history. Witherspoon agreed to a four-year, $132 million extension ($33 million average annual value) with $101 million guaranteed.
Although Gonzalez still has two seasons left on his rookie contract, talk of his contract was 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 coach said the language of the contract was “sort of rubbish”.
Gonzalez didn’t seem to dismiss his coach’s comments when he spoke to reporters last week.
“He can speak his mind. He has his opinions, I have mine,” Gonzalez said, “but I support everything he says. He supports everything I say. That’s kind of our relationship. We talk every day. He means what he means.”
Gonzalez added in comments to MassLive that he was “still frustrated” that he and the Patriots had yet to come to 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. While New England was largely dominated in Super Bowl LX, Gonzalez put in 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-clinching interception in the Patriots’ AFC Championship game against the Denver Broncos.
Gonzalez, 24, also earned second-team All-Pro honors for his play in 2024. The Patriots took Gonzalez with the 16th overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft.