NFL insider believes Patriots star cornerback will get ‘a huge deal’

Christian Gonzalez has not been present during Patriots OTAs as he continues his contact holdout. But it sounds as if the star cornerback will get a new deal.

“Before the season, I think there’s a good chance,” NFL insider Ian Rapoport said during a recent appearance on “The Pat McAfee Show.” “Next couple of days, I have not heard that.

“I imagine that he’s going to get a huge deal,” he added. “I imagine that the Patriots will make it work, I just don’t know that it’s going to be imminent.”

The Patriots exercised Gonzalez’s fifth-year option for 2027 in April, which added another year to his contract. He’ll make $18.119 million in 2027. He’s scheduled to make $2.2 million this season.

Gonzalez is eligible for an extension, which could come with a market-resetting pay raise. Los Angeles Rams cornerback Trent McDuffie is currently the NFL’s highest-paid CB making $31 million per season.

In 14 games for New England last season, Gonzalez totaled 69 tackles, 10 passes defended and one tackle for loss.

“He is a great player. He deserves all of the dollars,” Rapoport said. “It’s just a matter of when that thing can get done and how high.”

The Patriots begin mandatory minicamp on June 9. Coach Mike Vrabel said he imagines Gonzalez will be back by then, and he provided an update on where things stand with the star cornerback.

“The contract is is the business and the professional side of this is the personal side. I don’t want to get let anything interfere with that. I want Christian to be ready when he comes back,” Vrabel said. “And I would imagine that he will be here next week. And if he is, then we’ll coach him and be ready to move on and, and get him ready to help us and help himself.

“Contracts are part of professional sports,” he continued. “I understand that, but I also know that those should remain private. And like any contract, you want to make sure in negotiations that everybody feels feels like they get something out of it. And I’ll leave it at that.”

Vrabel stressed he was in communication with Gonzalez, as were the defensive coaches.

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