The first few weeks of New England Patriots training camp have been overshadowed by the team’s ongoing contract stalemate with cornerback Christian Gonzalez, but the key domino that everyone’s been waiting for just dropped.
Jordan Schultz of FOX Sports reported Saturday morning that the Seahawks are signing corner Devon Witherspoon, the No. 5 overall pick in the 2023 draft, to a four-year extension worth $132 million. With a reported $101 million in guarantees, the deal passes Trent McDuffie’s recent extension as the highest in league history at the position.
BREAKING: The #Seahawks and All-Pro CB Devon Witherspoon have agreed to a 4-year, $132M extension with $101M guaranteed, per sources.
— Jordan Schultz (@Schultz_Report) August 15, 2026
The deal, done by @WinSportsGroup, makes Witherspoon, a 3x Pro Bowler, the NFL’s highest-paid CB in history. pic.twitter.com/rVTk2dpKnu
For the Patriots and Gonzalez, there are no longer any excuses. Both sides now have all the information needed to get their own extension done and get back to focusing on another Super Bowl run.
If negotiations extend into the regular season, it will be a terrible look for both parties — and especially Gonzalez if some of the recent speculation is true.
The Patriots and Christian Gonzalez have no excuses left to delay a deal
Tom E. Curran of NBC Sports Boston reported last week that Gonzalez could be seeking a percentage of what the salary cap is projected to be in future years, rather than simply signing a contract that makes him the NFL’s highest-paid at the position in terms of average annual value or guarantees.
The Witherspoon deal should put a fork in that.
Owner Robert Kraft and the Patriots should now be adjusting whatever offer they’ve had on the table to reflect Witherspoon’s contract details. In the NFL’s rookie-scale era, this is how the system works for first-round studs entering Year 4, which is their first year of extension eligibility. The Patriots should be offering Gonzalez’s camp a four-year extension worth at least $132 million with more than $101 million in guarantees. If that’s not the case, fans and sports radio hosts have every reason to blast the team.
But while it’s typically easier to root for the player than the team in these situations, Gonzalez has to read the room and play ball here, too.
There is no precedent for what Curran presented last week, and there’s no reason for the Patriots to set that precedent with Gonzalez. Not after the No. 5 overall pick at his position, fresh off a Super Bowl title, just signed a top-market contract within the unwritten rules of how these deals get done.
If Gonzalez’s camp is balking at $32.5 million per year and $102 million guaranteed, then this isn’t a serious negotiation. If the Patriots are refusing to match those numbers, the hold-up is 100 percent on them.
With the Witherspoon deal now done, Gonzalez's extension should follow in short order. If not, concerns over him never signing a second contract with the Patriots will get very real.
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