If you were hoping for clarity on whether Christian Gonzalez will be out there in Week 1 against the Seattle Seahawks and Jaxon Smith-Njigba, who led the NFL with 1,793 receiving yards last season and won Offensive Player of the Year, you didn’t get it.
When meeting with the media before practice Saturday afternoon, Gonzalez didn’t say much about his contract situation or his availability for Wednesday night’s season opener. Instead, he simply offered that he is “focused on today.”
It’s hard to believe things have gotten to this point.
With less than a week until the season opener against the team Gonzalez arguably played the best game of his career against in the Super Bowl six months ago, a contract extension that should have been at the top of the Patriots’ list of priorities this offseason is still not done.
And now, it could cost Gonzalez time at the beginning of the season.
Of course, it’s unclear if that will actually be the case. Gonzalez has been noncommittal about his Week 1 availability, and very little about the situation is clear.
Still, the situation is not great.
Even if Gonzalez is out there, though, it’s fair to wonder what version of him the Patriots will get.
Will it be the elite, top-level cornerback we’ve seen throughout his three seasons in New England and throughout training camp this summer? Or will it be a less engaged, frustrated version of Gonzalez?
There is no question Gonzalez is an essential piece of this Patriots defense. That’s especially true for this team, which has significant questions at EDGE and figures to rely heavily on blitzing and coverage to generate pressure.
For that to work, the Patriots need Gonzalez at his best.
Speaking on the first day of training camp, owner Robert Kraft said the team “hopes Gonzalez will be with us for a long time,” and they should.
Not only because of what Gonzalez means to a team hoping to build off a historic turnaround last season and a trip to the Super Bowl, but also because of what this situation says about the organization.
The Patriots have long been criticized for being cheap. Yet they are playing hardball with an elite player at one of the most important positions in football, a player who deserves to be paid top-of-the-market money.
They have also faced plenty of criticism for their inability to draft and develop talent. After finally finding a homegrown, blue-chip player in Gonzalez, they have been unable to get a deal done.
Gonzalez is the type of player organizations pay.
Time will tell whether the deal gets done. But the Patriots can’t afford to go into the season with their first four games coming against playoff teams, including three reigning division winners, without Gonzalez.
That’s especially true when you consider what’s behind him.
The Patriots don’t have much cornerback depth beyond Gonzalez, Carlton Davis III and Marcus Jones. If Gonzalez elected not to play amid these dragged-out contract negotiations, Charles Woods or rookies Karon Prunty and Channing Canada would be next up.
That’s not where the Patriots want to be.
They need Gonzalez. They need him on the field. And they need him fully bought in.
