Patriots' Christian Gonzalez decision should be simple

Feb 8, 2026; Santa Clara, CA, USA; New England Patriots cornerback Christian Gonzalez (0) against the Seattle Seahawks during Super Bowl LX at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

The New England Patriots are currently caught in a tough balance between what they have to do versus what they probably should do.

Christian Gonzalez's contract is creating that dilemma.

The Pats don't yet have to extend Gonzalez.

But in the interests of keeping the star cornerback happy, it may be time to make that happen.

ESPN's Aaron Schatz wrote a new article that released on Thursday in which he suggests one move each team should still make this offseason.

For the Patriots, he writes that extending Gonzalez should be the priority.

"The Patriots absolutely don't have to do this because Gonzalez still has two years left on his rookie contract once New England picks up the fifth-year option," Schatz writes. "But it's probably good to keep the best player on the defense happy, and Gonzalez skipped OTAs a couple of weeks ago because he's not pleased about being on a rookie deal while the contracts for veteran cornerbacks exploded. The Patriots have the cap space to give Gonzalez more money in the short term to make him happy in the long term."

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The skipping of OTAs by Gonzalez is really the nudge that the Patriots should probably listen to.

Sure, by giving him a new deal after he stayed away, they're acknowledging that some of that behavior can work.

But more importantly, they'd be keeping one of their most crucial players happy.

Coming off a Super Bowl appearance, New England should be doing what it can to keep the vibes good. A Gonzalez extension would certainly qualify as that.

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