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Cornerback Christian Gonzalez is excited to play against the best wide receiver in the league, Jaxon Smith-Njigba.
The New England Patriots have a lot of work to do in the offseason to avoid a Super Bowl hangover in 2026. One key decision waiting in the wings is the potential future of their star cornerback Christian Gonzalez.
Gonzalez’s rookie contract will expire following next season. He is now eligible for an extension for the first time in his NFL career.
After his spectacular performance in the Super Bowl, Gonzalez reassured New England and the rest of the league that he is one of the best pass defenders in the NFL. With a piece like Gonzalez that is set to earn a top of the market contract if he gets to free agency, one of the Patriots top priorities this offseason should be locking him down for the future.
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Patriots Will Look to Extend Gonzalez This Offseason
Gonzalez had another strong season to follow up a stellar sophomore campaign in 2024, but his play showed up on the biggest stage. In the Super Bowl, Gonzalez made multiple heroic efforts to break up passes, plays that aren’t made by any run of the mill NFL CB.
Christian Gonzalez held his own in the Super Bowl.
His performance in the Super Bowl will loom large when he hits negotiations; all he has to do is show game tape from the Super Bowl to prove his worth.
With all that being said, the chips all belong to the Patriots this offseason. The next six months will be New England’s final chance to lock him into a contract before he hits the open market and goes to the highest bidder.
According to Spotrac, Gonzalez’s market value is three years at $80 million. This would average out to about $27 million per season. In comparison, Patrick Surtain is making $24 million and Jaycee Horn is making $25 million; $27 million to Gonzalez would raise the going price for star cornerbacks on the market.
$27 million per season would make Gonzalez the second highest paid cornerback in the NFL, behind Sauce Gardner who currently makes $30 million, and there’s certainly a strong argument to be made that Gonzalez is better than Gardner.
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Patriots Cap Space; Can They Afford to Pay Gonzalez?
The short answer to the question of whether New England can afford to pay Gonzalez is yes: they currently have $35 million in cap space as the offseason is getting underway.
That also doesn’t take into account potential cuts and restructuring of contracts among other players on the team. The high price for Stefon Diggs is unlikely to be the same once the 2026 season starts.
Diggs case is certainly interesting. New England signed him to a three year, $63 million contract, but only paid him $8.7 in 2025, deferring the other $53 million for his final two seasons on the contract. There is an opt-out clause in the contract this offseason, meaning the Pats could either move on from him, or restructure the deal again to free up space.
Even if the Patriots don’t free up any money, they still have enough to offer Gonzalez what he’s worth in an extension.
If you’re asking the question of whether he’s worth that price, ask yourself whether New England can afford to lose him.
Unless you expect another free agent to sign for less and give you the same production, then the answer is a resounding no.
Matt Skillings Matt Skillings is a Boston based sports journalist and a graduate of UMass Amherst, where he majored in journalism and communication. Matt covered the UMass men’s ice hockey team for three years for the Massachusetts Daily Collegian. He was also a media intern for the Harwich Mariners of the Cape Cod Baseball League for two summers. Matt has additional bylines with the New England Hockey Journal, the Boston Globe and MassLive. More about Matt Skillings
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