Sometimes, the story just writes itself.
As another day passed without the Patriots signing Christian Gonzalez to a contract extension, the star cornerback spoke to reporters on the upper practice fields behind Gillette Stadium.
Yet that press conference was interrupted due to the overwhelming sound coming from the lower practice field, where Patriots owner Robert Kraft’s helicopter was coming down for a landing.
In the perpetual race of the millionaire players against the billionaire owners, the descent of Kraft’s helicopter while Gonzalez fielded questions about his contract status did seem on the nose.
Before that helicopter interrupted him, Gonzalez admitted that the process has been frustrating.
“I mean, it’s frustrating,” Gonzalez said of not having an extension yet. “But I mean it’s — I’m focused on the season. I’m focused on here now and doing what I gotta do, and I’m out here to compete and get better.”
Gonzalez was expected by most NFL insiders to sign his deal shortly after Devon Witherspoon signed an extension in Seattle. Witherspoon — who, like Gonzalez, was drafted in the first round of the 2023 draft and also shares an agent with Gonzalez — signed his deal on Aug. 15. As of Aug. 26, Gonzalez not only hasn’t signed an extension, but there’s been no indication that the sides are close.
One complication during this stretch has been Gonzalez’s availability. The cornerback returned to practice Monday after missing two weeks, including both joint practice sessions with the Eagles and a joint practice session with the Colts. Though some speculated that the absence was related to the contract negotiations, Gonzalez wasn’t willing to weigh in on that discussion.
“Yeah, you know, I’m not going to get into that,” he said. “I’m out here now, so it is what it is.”
When told that people will continue to speculate on the severity of that injury, Gonzalez still didn’t engage.
“Everything we do is speculating, at the end of the day,” he said. “I could say something and then it’s still gonna be speculated, so I mean, it is what it is.”
Gonzalez said that he’s focusing his energy on Week 1, when the Patriots begin their season with a Super Bowl rematch against the Seahawks in Seattle. Yet when asked if he’s willing to play in the regular season without a deal getting done, he didn’t provide an answer.
“I mean, I’m focused on today, on this practice, and see where we go from here,” he said.
Throughout the summer, Gonzalez has stated numerous times that he does not intend to share any part of the negotiations with the media. As expected, that continued on Tuesday.
“There’s certain things that go into a contract that my team knows what we want, so it kind of depends how you put it,” Gonzalez said when asked for details about what he’s looking for in this contract.
Yet with Kraft telling the media on Day 1 of training camp that the team made Gonzalez an offer that would make him the highest-paid cornerback in the NFL, and with VP of player personnel Eliot Wolf stating the team remains willing to make such an offer even after Witherspoon reset the market, the team has shared some details with the public.
Gonzalez was asked if he believes the Patriots are “holding up their end of the bargain” in the desire to keep the negotiations behind closed doors.
“I mean … I don’t know,” he answered.
As Gonzalez fielded his final question, the engine on the adjacent field began to roar. The helicopter began to take flight, the figurative distance between Kraft and Gonzalez turning literal in real time.
