Sources: Gonzalez lands record CB deal with Patriots — SkimNews
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- Christian Gonzalez signed a four-year, $135 million extension with the Patriots, including $102 million guaranteed and a $33 million signing bonus — the highest ever for a cornerback.
- The deal eclipses Devon Witherspoon's four-year, $132 million extension with the Seattle Seahawks from last month; both players share agent Reggie Johnson.
- The agreement was completed less than 48 hours before Wednesday's regular-season opener against the Seahawks — a Super Bowl LX rematch — resolving the biggest contract question facing the Patriots.
- Gonzalez, the No. 17 pick in the 2023 draft and an All-Pro and Pro Bowl cornerback, was eligible for an extension for the first time this offseason after playing all 34 of his regular-season games as a starter.
- Contract talks dragged for months, with Gonzalez skipping most of voluntary offseason work and limiting his mandatory minicamp participation to walk-through drills as leverage; he publicly expressed frustration Aug. 25 that a deal remained unresolved.
- Gonzalez suffered a lower leg injury Aug. 10 in training camp, returned to practice Aug. 24, and made the trip to Seattle for Wednesday's game.
- Patriots coach Mike Vrabel and EVP of player personnel Eliot Wolf said repeatedly they hoped to retain Gonzalez, with Vrabel noting they were expanding his leadership role late last season.
Why it matters: Gonzalez, 24, now holds the richest cornerback contract in NFL history at $135 million over four years, locking up the Patriots' All-Pro secondary anchor alongside Carlton Davis III through his prime as New England opens the season Wednesday against Seattle. Owner Robert Kraft had said at the start of camp that an offer was already on the table to make Gonzalez the league's highest-paid CB, and the team closed on it before kickoff rather than letting the negotiation linger into the season.
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