Christian González is easily among the most talented cornerbacks in the NFL. As he moves from his rookie contract to his first mega deal, he should be compensated as such. The New England Patriots have been open about their willingness to pay a premium to keep Gonzalez long-term, but according to ESPN, the sides are not close to reaching an agreement. Patriots owner Robert Kraft said at the start of training camp that the team offered Gonzalez a contract that would make him the highest-paid cornerback in NFL history. That, however, was before Seattle Seahawks star Devon Witherspoon reset the market with a four-year, $132 million extension. That deal raised the bar for Gonzalez and appears to have raised it too high for the Patriots. “I don’t think they’ve ever been close to a deal,” ESPN’s Adam Schefter said on “The Pat McAfee Show.” “Devon Witherspoon and Christian Gonzalez have the same agent, so in a way, he can dictate how this plays out and see the future in a better way than either team. Witherspoon was going to finish first, and he did it at an average of $33 million a year. The Patriots haven’t been in that category. Witherspoon has set the benchmark, and the Patriots haven’t gotten there. They weren’t there before, and “To be clear, there’s no deadline immediately for this agreement to reach the goal. The Patriots exercised Gonzalez’s fifth-year option for 2027, and he hasn’t threatened to hold out during training camp or sit out regular-season games. However, every time a team struggles to find an acceptable number for a star player, negotiations risk breaking down. The Micah Parsons saga last summer demonstrated how teams can ultimately lose the best players on their rosters if they are not willing to pay a premium. “I have conversations with Christian and I understand that this is probably a difficult thing,” Patriots coach Mike Vrabel said, via Patriots Wire. “I’ve never been in that position to this point. I try to treat him with class, but he and I communicate, and our players are always free to feel how they feel. They just have to be patient and hope that we can work towards some kind of agreement.” With a player of González’s caliber due to a contractual dispute it would be an extreme measure. However, that doesn’t mean it won’t happen, so here are some possible landing spots should Gonzalez be moved out of New England. Dallas Cowboys Jerry Jones has been hinting for a while that he would be interested in making another big move, even if in the last 12 months he has already done a lot: trading for Micah Parsons, trading for Quinnen Williams and moving up in the draft for Caleb Downs. When the Cowboys opened training camp, he said he would be “very interested” in “giving up the future to replace where we are today.” Dallas has made a concerted effort to improve its secondary, not only with Downs, but with free agents Jalen Thompson and Cobie Durant. But after a miserable 2025, a player like Gonzalez would take this secondary to a completely different level: not just a No. 1 cornerback, but a superstar. Gonzalez is in the top tier at a position where the Cowboys look mediocre at best. It’s a great name. Maybe Jones will do the opposite of Parsons, acquiring a disgruntled star in his prime and paying him, rather than trading one. Detroit Lions As recently as this summer, the Lions must have felt pretty good about the state of their cornerback group. The arrest of Terrion Arnold, his departure from the roster and his plans to sign with the Seahawks turned the unit upside down. Suddenly DJ Reed is forced into the number one spot and the depth behind him is questionable. That’s not to mention the injury issues that continue to plague the rest of the defensive backfield. Bringing in Gonzalez to not only take Arnold’s place, but also potentially improve his production, would be a decisive move for a team that needs to make leaps and bounds defensively in order to return to the playoffs. Signing him to a long-term contract would limit the Lions’ flexibility at other positions, but they can afford it as long as it doesn’t take effect until next year. Washington Commanders fans have looked at Gonzalez and wondered “what if?” from the 2023 NFL Draft. Washington selected Emmanuel Forbes 16th overall, one pick before González left for New England. Forbes didn’t even last two seasons before being cut. Washington spent big this offseason on defense, but is still set to have a relatively open checkbook going forward, even with a possible Jayden Daniels extension. Adam Peters has made big trades for Marshon Lattimore (which didn’t work out) and Laremy Tunsil (who played excellently last year but tore his triceps in training camp this year). Could he have another big move up his sleeve? For the “buyer beware” idea, Gonzalez is much younger than Lattimore or Tunsil were when they were acquired; He is a rising superstar, having just turned 24 years old. The Commanders have gotten younger, faster and more athletic all offseason, and this would continue that trend. Trey Amos has missed nearly all of training camp and the rest of the group has been inconsistent. It’s a winning year for Dan Quinn, and if it’s a bad year, Peters would be under the microscope as well. Washington should never have let González get away from them. This regime could correct the errors of the previous one. New York Giants A young, affordable core gives the Giants all the flexibility they need to not only acquire Gonzalez now but also make him the highest-paid cornerback in league history. Placing a cornerback who is entering his prime on the same defense as recent first-round picks Arvell Reese and Abdul Carter would set that unit up to flourish as a talent-rich operation for years to come. The Giants can easily move on from Greg Newsome II after signing him to a one-year, $8 million deal, which would clear a path for Gonzalez to form a tandem with Paulson Adebo, who remains under contract for the next three seasons. The young pieces are starting to click with the aforementioned defensemen plus Jaxson Dart, Malik Nabers and Cam Skattebo. Any established star that New York can pair them with would be a welcome addition that could help accelerate the team’s rise to contention. Pittsburgh Steelers González is not the only cornerback who finds himself in a frustrating impasse with his team. In Pittsburgh, Joey Porter Jr. and the Steelers are at odds. Technically, Porter is still on the PUP list, but in reality, he is a liability regarding his contract. As such, the Steelers could offer New England something other teams couldn’t: a good young player at the same position Gonzalez plays. This, of course, would depend on the Patriots presenting a financial solution to Porter and the Steelers doing the same with Gonzalez. Maybe dealing with Gonzalez within the AFC will be impossible for New England anyway. But the Steelers are giving him one more chance with Aaron Rodgers, and there’s a very good defense in front of him. He could go from very good to elite with González.
