The 2024 season was rough for the Patriots from top to bottom, not leaving many positive things to look forward to coming into this offseason. Some of the changes that have already been made have slightly adjusted that pessimism, as Mike Vrabel was named the new head coach along with an experienced coaching staff, but many moves are still needed over the next few months.
The roster will be the focus of improvement now that the appropriate upgrades have been made to the staff, and there are a lot of holes to fill that will need to be dealt with.
Few players stood out for good reason last year besides quarterback Drake Maye. But defensively, there was cornerback Christian Gonzalez, who was the shining star of an otherwise downward spiral of what had been the more talented side of the team. That to him somehow being snubbed from the Pro Bowl but being named Second-Team All-Pro for the first time, proving he is rising to stardom in just year 2.
However, despite it all, Gonzalez doesn't feel we've seen the best from him yet. Considering how good he has been so far, even during the only three games he played as a rookie, that is saying a lot, and the Patriots are already benefitting from picking him in the first round of the 2023 draft.
Christian Gonzalez puts the Patriots' future opponents on notice with latest comments
While speaking to NBC Sports Boston's Phil Perry earlier this week, Gonzalez was asked about being left off the list of Pro Bowlers this year, especially since he ranked among the best cornerbacks in the league, and what he hopes to build upon for the season ahead.
While disappointed he wasn't named First-Team All-Pro more than being a Pro Bowler, Gonzalez sent a message to the rest of the league claiming he feels he hasn't "scratched the surface" in his career just yet.
“All-Pro was my bigger goal. Pro Bowl is a popularity contest at the end of the day. All-Pro was really what I wanted. Obviously I wanted First Team, but it’s nice to hear my name in there.
But I feel like I ain’t even scratched the surface. There’s a lot of room I can grow, so much better I can get. So I’m excited for it.”
That's quite a statement to make as a young player in the league and one that has already shown he can be one of the best at the position after just two seasons. Fortunately, he's in better hands with the new coaching staff this season, even if losing longtime cornerbacks coach Mike Pellegrino could be a significant loss.
With a full, healthy season under his belt and a revitalized team under Mike Vrabel, the hope is the defense will get back to the kind of group they were when Bill Belichick was still around, and it's hard to argue that won't happen, given the personnel that will be on the sideline this year.
Gonzalez will lead the secondary as the CB1 moving forward, putting a lot of pressure on his shoulders to hold the fort down this upcoming season. However, he's already proven he can hang with the best of them in the NFL, as he's already shut down receivers like A.J. Brown, Ja'Marr Chase, and Tyreek Hill.
If we haven't seen his best yet, then his ceiling must be higher than we thought.