When Christian Gonzalez came into the NFL in 2023, he was billed as a superstar cornerback. Even though most of his rookie year was wiped out due to an injury, Gonzalez was typically assigned to the opposition's top receiver and showed his abilities as a lockdown cornerback.
Although his career is still young, Gonzalez is certainly not being paid like a superstar. At least not yet.
According to Bleacher Report, Gonzalez is the Patriots' most underpaid player. When he signed his rookie contract, it was worth $15 million over four years. Gonzalez is in good company in the AFC East, with some high-quality players, including James Cook (Bills), Garrett Wilson (Jets), and De'Vone Achane (Dolphins), who are ranked as the respective teams' most underpaid players. The league's most underpaid cornerback is Kansas City's Trent McDuffie.
How much money will Gonzalez make during his second contract? Our guess is quite a bit
Gonzalez will be due for a contract extension in another couple of years, and along with Drake Maye, you could argue that Gonzalez is one of the Patriots' most vital young players. Opposing quarterbacks are likely going to start shying away from throwing towards him in 2025, which will be a tough task given that Carlton Davis III will be opposite Gonzalez at the cornerback position.
A player's talent isn't always determined by the amount of money he makes, as Tom Brady constantly took pay cuts throughout his career to give the Patriots financial flexibility. While the team did spend a lot of money to upgrade the roster this offseason, Eliot Wolf, Mike Vrabel and the Krafts have to remember to keep their guys in mind.
Over the last several years, the Patriots' drafted players have not been offered second contracts, which speaks to how poorly the team drafted during the final years of the Bill Belichick era. But when it comes to getting paid, Gonzalez is going to earn his big bucks, especially if he has a breakout season in 2025.
Gonzalez may not have made Bleacher Report's list as the NFL's most underpaid guys at each position, but he's close from a contract and talent standpoint. And the Patriots better back up the Brinks truck for him when it comes time for that second contract.