The much-anticipated 2025 season debut of cornerback Christian Gonzalez remains on the horizon, and Patriots fans might finally see it this week when the team takes on the Panthers. It looked like the Pro Bowler was set to take the field last week after returning to practice for the first time in nearly two months, only for Mike Vrabel to make the decision he wasn't ready just yet and rule him out 24 hours before the game.
The head coach seemed to indicate that Gonzalez would be ready to go this week, when they welcome Carolina to Gillette Stadium after a big win over the Falcons last weekend. However, there are concerns about why the cornerback has remained sidelined for so long, with insiders speculating about what might be happening behind the scenes.
Sports Illustrated's Albert Breer questioned the situation during an appearance on NBC Sports Boston's Early Edition on Tuesday, revealing that Gonzalez didn't suffer a setback, so if he doesn't suit up this week, there might be a bigger issue at hand than initially thought.
"I've dug around on this the last couple of weeks and what I found is, there wasn't a setback, which I think almost makes it worse. You know what I mean?
If he misses this game, now we're at four weeks, which means he's not just behind schedule for where they thought he would be in July, he's behind schedule for where they thought he would be at the beginning of September."
Unfortunately, that alternative explanation might create a whirlwind of drama before the season's over.
Albert Breer suggests there might be more to Christian Gonzalez's injury than Patriots fans realize
Because Gonzalez has seemingly missed more time than the typical player who suffers a hamstring injury, especially one that is not placed on injured reserve, it might be fair to speculate about other explanations that could be considered motives for him to remain out.
Breer believes one answer could be that the cornerback will be ready to receive a contract extension as soon as next year, assuming the Patriots pick up his fifth-year option, and perhaps Gonzalez wants to be cautious in case they do not intend to keep him around beyond 2026.
"I think there's a natural piece to this that comes in the NFL when a player is on the edge of becoming very, very wealthy. Where there are natural questions that come up, 'Are you being careful? Are we being careful?' It's just sort of the price that the owners pay for the rules being the way they are.
I think it would be silly not to look at that as at least something that would be in the back of everybody's mind."
While that shouldn't be disregarded entirely, it doesn't seem to match the kind of attitude or player that Gonzalez has shown himself to be, especially since he missed almost his entire rookie season due to an injury.
So how would purposely missing more time boost his worth across the league?
The 23-year-old dismissed that narrative while speaking to reporters on Wednesday afternoon, as he hinted at making his return on Sunday after hoping he would be out on the field last week vs. the Steelers.
Christian Gonzalez on if he told Mike Vrabel that he wanted to play last Sunday:
— Patriots on CLNS (@PatriotsCLNS) September 24, 2025
“Of course. I never don’t want to play. So, that narrative that’s out there, I don’t know where people get it from but all I want to do is play football.”
-@CLNSMedia pic.twitter.com/DVzgLN5Mnq
All things considered, it looks like Gonzalez will be on the field this weekend, and that should end any lingering questions regarding the reasoning behind his prolonged absence.
There's no need to make a spectacle out of a situation that appears to be more cautious than anything else, but when a team is losing and there's a new head coach in town, it doesn't take much to create some drama during what has mostly been a boring year so far.