NFL teams win with great players and very good ones. There is no compromising that necessity. The New England Patriots have two clear-cut great players, one on offense, Drake Maye, and the other on defense, Christian Gonzalez.
Fansided's Cody Williams and Jake Bakeman have recently rated the NFL's Top 50 players, and both of these Patriots made their list.
Both Maye and Gonzalez are acknowledged NFL stars. Maye has earned a second-team All-Pro and two Pro Bowl nods in two years in the league. Gonzalez also earned a second-team All-Pro and added a Pro Bowl nod to his resume over the past two years.
Both players are foundational aspects of their respective units on the Patriots. Both should be Patriots for the long-term.
The Patriots must lock up contract extensions for their 2 best players
NFL teams' philosophies can differ on who should get paid. Yet, there is only one view that should predominate when it comes to acknowledged, young NFL superstars, and that is to pay them the market rate whenever they become eligible.
Maye and Gonzalez as noted by Williams and Bakeman fit that profile.
"Watching Gonzalez is some of the most fun you'll have as a football fan. He has tremendous instincts and twitch to match up with that mental acuity, but he also adds his length and speed to the equation on top of that. He's the total package for a cornerback and makes good on it week in and week out for New England."
And Maye earned an even higher rating and more flowery compliments.
"Drake Maye is an MVP-caliber quarterback who took advantage of a pathetic schedule. He was throwing to a very much not-elite pass-catcher group, and he operated the offense with a brutal level of efficiency. Without him back there, that offense would’ve been highlighted by a 32-year-old Stefon Diggs...
Sacks stop drives, but when Maye got sacked, he would stand right back up the next play and get those yards back with a throw downfield. Up until that postseason stretch where he played three of the best defenses in the NFL back to back to back, the guy was unflappable. Now he’s got A.J. Brown to throw to … So, get ready for more of the same, but better."
Both Patriots players made that list deservedly so. Whether they were ranked high enough is another question. With all the rankings of teams and players floating around that insult your players, at least Williams and Bakeman rated these two Patriots' stars in the Top 50 of the NFL heap. That at least makes sense.
One imperative for the Patriots, in light of ratings like these or just based on their performances, remains inescapable. Both Drake Maye and Christian Gonzalez deserve contract extensions commensurate with their abilities.
Gonzalez needs to get one now and Maye next offseason. There should be no question whatsoever about major contract extensions for either. Anything else is a complete blunder.
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