Patriots’ Vrabel won’t say if Christian Gonzalez will play in Wednesday night’s opener
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. —
Will New England Patriots All-Pro cornerback Christian Gonzalez play in Wednesday night’s season opener against the Seattle Seahawks?
It’s a question that’s been on every Patriots fan’s mind this week.
On Saturday, head coach Mike Vrabel gave no indication one way or the other, although he expressed a desire to get the contract situation resolved.
“I think it’s an interesting dynamic, I’ve been on both sides,” he said. I think what’s important for me is to try to communicate, to try to explain the players we really want to build around and have and we’ve done that with Gonzo.”
The Patriots have a tall task ahead of them against the defending Super Bowl champion Seahawks.
Seattle throttled New England 29-12 in Super Bowl LX nearly seven months ago.
One of the lone bright spots for the Patriots in that game was Gonzalez, who had 4 tackles and 3 passes defended. He allowed just 3 receptions on 7 targets and did not surrender a touchdown against a vaunted Seattle passing attack.
Although the former Oregon Duck has been practicing with the team, it remains unclear if he’ll play amid ongoing contract negotiations.
“I don’t get involved in the negotiations per se but I certainly want to be involved in trying to get the situation resolved,” Vrabel said. “It’s a delicate balance that we have to wage and I want to just continue to prepare for Seattle and focus on all the things we have to do to beat an excellent team with our team and the players that we have.”
In July, Patriots owner Robert Kraft told reporters that he has offered Gonzalez the highest contract in team history and would make him the highest-paid cornerback in the league.
The 23-year-old is eligible for an extension on his rookie contract after the Patriots picked up his fifth-year option earlier this offseason.
Seahawks cornerback Devon Witherspoon currently is the highest paid cornerback in the NFL with an annual salary of $33 million.
Kickoff against Seattle is Wednesday at 8:20 p.m.