Most New England Patriots fans thought Christian Gonzalez would already be the highest-paid cornerback in NFL history at this point in training camp. If anything, it seemed like a matter of "when," not "if," it would happen.
Fast forward to today, and it looks like neither party has made much progress in talks. Devon Witherspoon, who's represented by the same agency, already put pen to paper, yet there haven't been any encouraging updates on Gonzalez's front.
Considering that, former Patriots star Devin McCourty, who also had some back-and-forth contract negotiations back in the day, shared his two cents on the matter. When asked about the issue, he argued that something in the contract language is leading to this pushback.
The Patriots need to get a deal done with Christian Gonzalez soon
“My guess would be language. I have to imagine that the Pats knew kind of where they were going to be at in average per year and new money. A lot of time with these deals, it’s the language,” McCourty said (h/t Audacy).
“It’s those little perky things and the language that, if you get into the weeds of it as a player, like I think guys should be, those are things that you are going to push to get. Those are things you have to go back and forth on. I know the contracts that I’ve done, it was that kind of language that, as a player, I always pushed for," he added.
Gonzalez has been held out of practice for the last week or so with an undisclosed injury. Of course, the timing of this ailment was somewhat suspicious, leading some to think he's just holding out until a deal gets done.
Notably, McCourty wouldn't take it that far, though he admitted that, sometimes, players without a new deal might be more careful when they're banged up in training camp, and he fully supported Gonzalez for looking out for his long-term financial security.
Gonzalez has earned the right to negotiate on his own terms, and someone will gladly pay him if the Patriots don't. That said, this is also becoming too much of a distraction, and there has to be a point where the team also draws a line in the sand.
At the end of the day, Gonzalez is under contract for another year, and the Patriots can even keep him around for longer with a fifth-year option. There has to be a point where they just pull the offer off the table and call Gonzalez's bluff.
Will he sit out and risk losing more money in the long run? It doesn't sound likely, more so for a player who's already slated to be the highest-paid guy at his position as soon as he puts his name on the dotted line.
Gonzalez is a great player, and the Patriots desperately need him on the field. Also, he'll only get more expensive if they don't sign him soon. Still, even Tom Brady took one for the team more than once, and there's only so much pushback this team will take.
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