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It now looks like the Seattle Seahawks and Devon Witherspoon are nearing a massive contract extension. Once that’s inked, it should put the New England Patriots and Christian Gonzalez on the clock.
NFL insider Ian Rapoport appeared on Good Morning Football on Wednesday, July 22nd. There, he shared that the Seahawks and Witherspoon are nearing an extension that would pay him about $32 million annually. That should reset the market, up from the $31 million that Trent McDuffie just got earlier in the offseason.
What This Means for the New England Patriots and Christian Gonzalez?
For some time, the New England Patriots and Seattle Seahawks have been connected in these contract negotiations. Both Devon Witherspoon and Christian Gonzalez share an agent and both expect to land massive new contracts. It was just a matter of who went first.
During his appearance on Good Morning Football, Rapoport dove into the deal a little bit deeper. In particular, what Patriots fans can expect next.
“Christian Gonzalez for the New England Patriots, another star corner,” Rapoport said. “Another excellent, excellent player who is due a big-time contract extension is watching, is paying attention, and by the way, has the same agent at Win Sports. All deals affect other deals. And, yes, I would say if Devon Witherspoon gets done, then it will certainly set the market for Christian Gonzalez.”
The Patriots picked up Gonzalez’s fifth-year option. That’s going to keep him in New England for another two seasons, with or without a contract extension. Still, both sides want a longer deal.
Gonzalez is set to make around $4.8 million in 2026, one of the best value players in the entire NFL. Even at $18.1 million in 2027 with his fifth-year option, he’s underpaid. Now, it looks like he’ll reset the market at better than $32 million annually.
“He’s really in no hurry. I would expect the Witherspoon deal to get done first. There’s also a deal involving Denzel Ward for some time… another player affected by this one, potentially two market-setting deals at the cornerback position,” Rapoport concluded.
Patriots Legend Ty Law Sent a Warning About Christian Gonzalez Negotiations
At one point, the top cornerback for the Patriots was Ty Law, and in 1999, they made him the highest-paid cornerback in the NFL. Later on, however, the two sides would have their own breakup and Law would leave in free agency.
Now, Law is watching the Gonzalez situation with plenty of experience. It’s that experience that makes him worried that the business side of football could be a difficult aspect of the negotiation for both sides to navigate.
“Even though we know it’s a business, there’s a part of this where you don’t want to feel disrespected either,” Law said, being quoted by ESPN. “It can be hard not to take it personally, so you have to try to take that out of it. [I say] give him what he wants and then some — he’s one of those generational talents and when you have him in the building you aren’t supposed to let him go.”
Gonzalez was away from the team during the voluntary portion of the offseason, making it clear he wanted a new deal. Certainly, that’s something Law respects, as he saw injuries change the course of contract negotiations.
One way or another, Gonzalez will be on the field for the Patriots in 2026. It would just make things easier if he had that extension and there was no distraction that comes from the business of football before September comes around.
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