Christian Gonzalez's contract saga was one of the most unnecessary storylines of the New England Patriots' offseason. The dispute should never have lasted this long, especially if they were going to pay him and give him the guarantees he was looking for.
Regardless, all that matters is that the Patriots kept their star cornerback home. And while it's still way too early in the season, he's more than paid back the confidence with two strong performances to kick off the campaign.
Now, with the Patriots at 1-1 and about to square off against the Jacksonville Jaguars and the Buffalo Bills' high-flying offenses, Gonzalez can be both the highest-paid cornerback in NFL history and criminally underpaid at the same time.
The Patriots must feel great about keeping Christian Gonzalez
Through two games, Gonzalez has given up five catches on 14 targets (35.7 percent) for 24 yards. That's 4.8 yards per catch and 12.0 receiving yards per game, and he has yet to give up a touchdown, logging three pass breakups and holding quarterbacks to a 44.3 passer rating.
He's done that by going against the likes of DK Metcalf and Jaxon Smith-Njigba. Now, with dates with guys like Parker Washington and DJ Moore ahead, the Patriots must rely on their shutdown corner to keep their defensive momentum going.
Washington has been one of the most impressive pass catchers early on, hauling in 12 receptions for 181 yards and one touchdown. As for Moore, he's day-to-day with an injury, but he went off for five catches, 100 receiving yards, and one touchdown in his Bills debut.
The Patriots' defense held its own in Week 1, except for some late-game miscues. Then, holding an offensive-minded head coach like McCarthy to just three points was another testament to Mike Vrabel's defense and where they stand right now.
There were legitimate doubts about the pass rush, and they weren't particularly deep at most spots, which shows the importance of a true difference-making shutdown corner like Christian Gonzalez.
This is a quarterback-friendly league now more than ever, and with defenders barely allowed to touch opposing players, it takes a special type of talent to routinely shadow them, disrupt their rhythm, while staying disciplined.
The Patriots are certainly compensating Gonzalez more than well for all his trouble. He signed a very lucrative four-year, $135 million contract extension with $102 million guaranteed. That's a ton of money by any standard, but if he's the difference between giving Drake Maye a fighting chance and having the offense constantly do all of the heavy lifting, he might as well be worth every penny.
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