Christian Gonzalez drew a line regarding his participation during an ongoing contract negotiation – and he’s leaving no room for the unpredictability a third party brings to the mix.
Patriots owner Robert Kraft announced to media he offered the All-Pro cornerback a contract that would make him the “highest paid player ever at that position” at the start of training camp, but just over two weeks after that impromptu press conference, Gonzalez remains without a deal and sat out of New England’s only joint practice with the Indianapolis Colts.
Gonzalez has shied away from discussing his contract – including any offer tendered by the Patriots – with the media, even after Kraft essentially cornered him by sharing the news of such an offer without disclosing details like guaranteed money.
Tuesday’s two-hour-plus joint session marked the first time Gonzalez hasn’t fully participated since mandatory minicamp in June.
Gonzalez, who was the lone Patriot to put on a show in Super Bowl 60, has the power to set the market at his handsomely-compensated position. The issue may be that he’s waiting to see what his personal friend and fellow defensive back, Devon Witherspoon, will earn. Complicating the issue is the fact that both guys share the same representation.
Witherspoon has been a full participant in his own training camp with the Seattle Seahawks as he works out a deal, but the Hawks don’t jointly practice with another team until after their first preseason game, so that’s where the measuring stick between these two ends.
New England picked up the fifth-year option for Gonzalez, who is set to make $2.8 million in cash this year without a new deal.
Cleveland cornerback Denzel Ward just topped the market with a $31.1 million per-year-average salary, but Gonzalez may be eyeing the $100 million guaranteed earned by Rams corner Trent McDuffie, (Houston corner Derek Stingley Jr. has the second-richest guaranteed contract at the position, at $89 million total).
His first absence of the summer landed on the same day the NFL Top 100 list ranked him 28th in overall players.
If Gonzalez isn’t taking the chance of practicing against another team, it could indicate he wants something inked before the start of the season – or he’ll put the Patriots in a prove-it position in his fourth year, like McDuffie did with the Rams, and that could easily result in an even more expensive contract in the end. The Patriots could also operate just as the Kansas City Chiefs did with McDuffie and trade him to a team willing to pay the piper after his fourth year, rather than set the market even higher than they’ve allegedly already offered.
New England is out of luck if Gonzalez is truly just waiting out Witherspoon’s business with Seattle. Gonzalez has been a good soldier through the summer, but there’s not much they could do to get him to participate in joint practices, (the Patriots hold two more with the Philadelphia Eagles later this month), nor preseason games, if he doesn’t want to risk injury before getting his cash – or the start of the season. He can take the fines while he waits. But ultimately, Gonzalez is technically still under contract for two more seasons in New England. He has leverage in that he’s a huge piece of New England’s defense, (he’s been the best single player in camp), but the front office remains in control of his career right now.
The best situation for the Patriots would be a deal between Witherspoon and the Seahawks before the month’s end, so the Patriots can sew up their situation with the first premium drafted player who’s earned a market-setting contract within the franchise in many years.
