Kickoff of the 2026 NFL season is just a couple days away and it will feature a Super Bowl rematch between the New England Patriots and Seattle Seahawks.
Several storylines have been formed surrounding the game, but none have been bigger than the contract situation between New England and its star cornerback Christian Gonzalez.
The 2023 first-round pick has been in the market for an extension and the two sides had been far apart in negotiations. Finally, though, the saga has been settled, and the Patriots have locked down their star for at least the next five years.
Christian Gonzalez finally gets his extension
According to NFL insider Jordan Schultz, Gonzalez has inked a four-year extension worth $135 million. The deal includes $102 million guaranteed and makes Gonzalez the highest paid cornerback in NFL history.
Gonzalez’s AAV sits at $33.75 million per year, surpassing the recently extended Seahawks cornerback Devon Witherspoon who is earning $33 million per year.
— Jordan Schultz (@Schultz_Report) September 8, 2026
Contract negotiations happened in a hurry
As recently as the first week of September, several reports indicated that New England was not budging from its offer to Gonzalez, an offer that reportedly would not have made him the highest paid corner above Witherspoon.
According to Schultz, though, the Patriots realized that Gonzalez was far too valuable not to remain with the franchise for several years to come. That ramped up contract talks and eventually led to a deal getting done.
Christian Gonzalez has his hands full on Wednesday
Gonzalez will take the field Wednesday night as the highest paid cornerback in NFL history, and he’ll quickly have to show why he deserved it.
He’ll likely be matched up all night long with Seattle’s Jaxson Smith Njigba, a consensus top five wide receiver in the NFL. If New England hopes to contain Smith-Njigba and avenge its Super Bowl loss, it’ll have to be Gonzalez that slows him down and helps the Patriots begin the season 1-0.
