Patriots warned about star projected to receive massive contract

The New England Patriots have the most salary cap space out of any team in the league, with nearly $60 million in remaining cap space.

The Patriots will likely look like a completely different team this season after signing players like Stefon Diggs and Milton Williams. They also brought in Mike Vrabel as the team's new head coach and hired Josh McDaniels to be the offensive coordinator. Despite bringing in other players, New England will soon have to prepare extensions for some of their best players. 

Bleacher Report's Matt Holder listed the next five cornerbacks set to get paid following Sauce Gardner's massive extension from the Jets, and Patriots corner Christian Gonzalez cracked the list at No. 2. 

"There were plenty of reasons to like Christian Gonzalez coming out of college. Unfortunately, a shoulder injury limited Gonzalez's rookie season to just four games. But he came back with a vengeance last fall, earning second-team All-Pro honors and ranking 11th (minimum 242 snaps) among cornerbacks with a 78.2 coverage grade from Pro Football Focus."

"Surtain sits as the fifth-highest paid corner in the league at $24 million per year, via Over The Cap. So, being compared to the reigning Defensive Player of the Year is pretty good company for Gonzalez, as he's expected to cash in and will be eligible for an extension after this upcoming season."

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Gonzalez has two years remaining on his rookie contract with a fifth-year option available for the 2027 season. The 23-year-old is already considered one of the best cornerbacks in the NFL, with ESPN's Jeremy Fowler ranking him sixth-best in the league, and is set to cash in, considering Gardner's contract is for four years and $120.4 million. 

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