Patriots get hit with another shot as Christian Gonzalez's price tag just skyrocketed

The last remaining major storyline surrounding the Patriots after a week of training camp involves cornerback Christian Gonzalez and his looming contract extension. Although Robert Kraft revealed that an offer had already been presented to the 24-year-old, making him the highest-paid at the position in the league, a deal has yet to be made official, and the waiting continues.

Fortunately, unlike others around the league and suggestions that claimed it would happen, Gonzalez is not holding out and has been present at training camp. He has been suited up every day so far and practicing at full speed, so it appears things are moving in the right direction.

And while that's good news for the defense, the longer he doesn't sign a contract, the worse the situation gets for the Patriots' pocketbook.

There are already plenty of rumors that the hold-up is due to fellow 2023 first-round cornerback Devon Witherspoon, who is also on the brink of signing a record-breaking extension, and that each player wants more money than the other.

Because of that, it appears they're both putting off signing on the dotted line as long as possible, and for the Patriots, that means seeing other cornerbacks receive record-breaking extensions and Gonzalez get more recognition, seemingly driving up his salary.

Christian Gonzalez gets more good news in the midst of contract negotiations

Earlier this week, the Browns rewarded 5-time Pro Bowler Denzel Ward with a two-year, $62.2 million deal that includes $52.3 million guaranteed. That resets the cornerback market again, as he is set to make $31.1 million a season.

Gonzalez and Witherspoon were already looking to be paid in that range, and now that Ward has a new deal, the Patriots will almost certainly be on the hook for paying their superstar defender more than that annually.

That's become even more obvious now with the new Madden 2027 rankings that were just revealed, too, as Gonzalez comes in as the highest-ranked cornerback in the league, earning a 98 rating, which was better than Patrick Surtain II, Trent McDuffie, and even Witherspoon.

It's just another addition to a long list of reasons why Gonzalez deserves to be paid like the superstar that he is. That might be bad news for New England, depending on their current offer and whether they're willing to increase it the longer a deal is not signed.

Given that it's been a long time since they were lucky enough to actually draft a player who went on to become one of the best in the league, it should be an easy decision to keep Gonzalez around for a long time.

But because so much money is involved, and Drake Maye is up for his first extension next year, there is reason to believe that Kraft and Co. might be holding tight onto their wallet right now.

There's no reason they should be doing that, however, since the cornerback has become an anchor of their defense and has the potential to wreak havoc on opposing receivers for many seasons to come. The Patriots have been fortunate to have many cornerbacks like that on their team over the years, and it has helped them win championships.

That's something Gonzalez is certainly capable of, as he showed with his performance in Super Bowl LX, and that should be motivation for the Patriots to reward him for that.

Yet it looks like the waiting game will continue, and the hope is that Witherspoon gets a deal done first to get things rolling in Foxboro. No matter what, it's clear that Gonzalez isn't letting it stop him from preparing for the upcoming season, and that's all that fans could ask for.

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