The New England Patriots are smack-dab in the middle of their 2026 offseason team-building efforts. There's no more important aspect of getting ready for an NFL season than improving at positions of need.
Another aspect of making progress is to take full advantage of your best young players while they are underpaid (and then, of course, to sign them to contract extensions when they are eligible). Bleacher Report's Brad Gagnon has cited two underpaid Patriots, and they are stars of the highest magnitude: Drake Maye and Christian Gonzalez.
Gonzalez is eligible to be granted an extension now, and the Patriots shouldn't hesitate for an instant to get that extension done. As more players get paid entering their fourth seasons, the price will only increase. This should have been in the works for months, and Gonzalez should be extended now.
Then there is Drake Maye. The Patriots spent the third-overall draft pick on Maye in 2024. After this season, he can be given a contract extension. If anyone had any doubts after his excellent rookie season in 2024 as to his pedigree, they were dispelled in 2025 when he had an MVP-level season, when only an injury derailed what might have been a Super Bowl victory to boot.
Drake Maye is well-underpaid in 2026, as the price for quarterbacks continues to go up
The Patriots should be pulling out all the stops to win now while their best player and quarterback, Drake Maye, is on a bare-bones NFL quarterback contract. Maye is on the salary cap for only $9.9M in 2026, and it should be considered a bargain of bargains.
Gagnon has singled out the most underpaid player(s) on every NFL roster. In the Patriots' case, he feels obligated to cite two, their two best players, Maye and Gonzalez.
"Dude fell a couple votes shy of winning the MVP but will carry just the 26th-highest cap hit ($9.9 million) among quarterbacks in his third season. Since this one's obvious, we'll also shout out Pro Bowl cornerback Christian Gonzalez and his $4.8 million cap number for '26. "
Gonzalez can and should be signed to a contract extension now. He's already proven he's a top lockdown NFL cornerback and earned second-team All-Pro and Pro Bowl nods in the two full seasons he's played.
Maye's play and his impact on the Patriots are also unquestionable. Mike Vrabel and his backroom staff have to get ready to sign him up for the long haul immediately after this season. NFL franchise-quarterbacks are the ultimate difference-makers.
They cash the biggest checks because they earn them. If you're fortunate enough to have one of the best, you just pay the freight, hope he stays healthy, and if he can, you march into the playoffs every season.
Signing both Gonzalez now and Maye after the 2026 season are no-brainers for any competent NFL personnel operation. You get it done. The larger question is getting the right pieces around them to be able to not just get to a Super Bowl but to win it and more of them. The Patriots' 2026 offseason so far has fallen short.
They still have time to improve more in late free agency and in the draft. We'll see if they accomplish any of their doable tasks before they hit training camp in July.