{"id":955591,"date":"2026-07-26T02:15:20","date_gmt":"2026-07-26T02:15:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/955591\/"},"modified":"2026-07-26T02:15:20","modified_gmt":"2026-07-26T02:15:20","slug":"joey-porter-jr-s-price-tag-just-went-up-after-latest-christian-gonzalez-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/955591\/","title":{"rendered":"Joey Porter Jr.\u2019s Price Tag Just Went Up After Latest Christian Gonzalez News"},"content":{"rendered":"

As Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback Joey Porter Jr. finds himself in line for a significant extension<\/a> in training camp, the market value for the top cornerbacks is about to go up, thanks to the New England Patriots.<\/p>\n

Patriots owner Robert Kraft told reporters Saturday at training camp that the franchise made cornerback Christian Gonzalez a record-setting contract offer with hopes of getting a long-term deal done.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe love Christian Gonzalez. We love him as a player, as a person, and that\u2019s why we\u2019ve made an offer to him to make him the highest-paid player to ever play that position in the NFL,\u201d Kraft said Saturday, according to video via ESPN\u2019s Mike Reiss.<\/a> \u201cAnd coincidentally, it is the highest contract in Patriots franchise history.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo we\u2019re glad we drafted him, he\u2019s developed here, and we hope he\u2019ll be with us for a long time.\u201d<\/p>\n

Robert Kraft on Christian Gonzalez: Patriots love him, made him offer as highest-paid CB, richest contract in franchise history, and hope he is with us for a long time. pic.twitter.com\/bxRsdDkHvQ<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Mike Reiss (@MikeReiss) July 25, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n

Currently, Los Angeles Rams\u2019 cornerback Trent McDuffie has the largest contract in NFL history at cornerback, having signed for $124 million this offseason after a trade from the Kansas City Chiefs. According to Over The Ca<\/a>p, McDuffie also has the highest average salary per year at $31 million, just ahead of Indianapolis\u2019 Sauce Gardner at $30.1 million and Houston\u2019s Derek Stingley at $30 million.<\/p>\n

Gonzalez is a former first-round pick whom the Patriots took at No. 17 overall in the 2023 NFL Draft. A pick that the Patriots acquired from the Steelers, ironically, after Pittsburgh traded up for offensive tackle Broderick Jones that year.<\/p>\n

In his three seasons, Gonzalez has played 34 games to date, recording 145 tackles, three interceptions and 24 pass breakups. He\u2019s earned one Pro Bowl nod and one second-team All-Pro accolade, so that gives him an edge over Porter, even though the Steelers\u2019 young cornerback has similar stats.<\/p>\n

If Gonzalez does end up resetting the market, it will cause Porter\u2019s price to rise, too. Previous projections had Porter coming in between $25 million and $30 million, but with Gonzalez poised to reset the market, it could push Porter north of $30 million, a figure some beat writers have speculated the Steelers might not feel comfortable surpassing.\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n