Pats Pulpit
Gonzalez was voted second-team All-Pro for his sophomore campaign with the Patriots.
Two years into his NFL career, Christian Gonzalez has already established himself as one of the best cornerbacks in the game.
A former first-round draft pick, he was named second-team All-Pro following his 2024 sophomore campaign and finished top 5 in the Comeback Player of the Year vote. And yet, the New England Patriots star believes he is only just getting started.
“I think that’s the thing people are not looking at. I haven’t even scratched the surface. I’m still only 22,” Gonzalez said during a recent appearance on the FratRules Podcast.
Confidence is a prerequisite for NFL cornerbacks, and Gonzalez has plenty of it. For good reason, too: despite going up against some of the best pass catchers the league has to offer on a week-to-week basis, he consistently delivered impressive performances since arriving in the league.
In 2024, he was targeted 70 times by opposing quarterbacks but gave up only 31 receptions for 376 yards and a single touchdown. He also registered three turnover, catching a pair of interceptions and recovering a fumble that he returned 63 yards for a touchdown.
Gonzalez was able to do all that despite missing most of his 2023 rookie season. After getting drafted 17th overall by the Patriots, he appeared in just four games before moving to injured reserve with a season-ending shoulder injury.
His injury was the first major setback of his career, and gave him a new perspective on the game.
“I obviously couldn’t play the rest of the year, so I had time to think about it,” he said. “I was always stressed about the game; I was very nervous. But when I wasn’t able to play, this year I went into it like, ‘Let me just have fun.’ I’ve been playing football since I was 5 years old. That’s all this is. I feel like that helped me have the year I had this year: I wasn’t thinking too much. Let me just go play football.”
Had the Patriots as a whole been better last year, Gonzalez might have challenged for a spot in the Pro Bowl and first-team All-Pro honors. Heading toward 2025, he therefore believes he has some wrongs to right in that regard.
“First-team All-Pro. Got second this year,” he said when speaking about his individual goals for Year 3. “My biggest goal is Defensive Player of the Year. I got to be up there for that.”
Despite some lofty personal goals, Gonzalez knows the bottom line is a different one: it’s all about winning football games, something the Patriots have done a bad job of since his arrival.
Even with Gonzalez playing like a legitimate No. 1 cornerback, New England has gone 4-13 in both of his seasons as a pro. With him and fellow 22-year-old Drake Maye as the foundation on the two sides of the ball, however, there is reason for optimism heading into the future.
“I really just want...
