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The New England Patriots are embroiled in a contract dispute with Christian Gonzalez. New England picked up his fifth-year option and could give the 23-year-old superstar a new deal at any moment. Perhaps the Patriots will be inspired by one of their division rivals to give Gonzalez a contract before the regular season.
Andrew Callahan of Boston Herald explained that New England could take inspiration from an unlikely source while navigating Gonzalez’s contract dispute.
Callahan pointed to how the Jets handled Sauce Gardner’s extension as a blueprint of what not to do. New York handed Sauce his four-year, $120.1 million extension just weeks before training camp. That could be a natural deadline for New England, too.
“The start of training camp sure feels like a soft deadline for extension talks, understanding Gonzalez cannot miss significant practice time and expect to perform as a true No. 1 cornerback come Week 1,” Callahan wrote. “… Plus, a real hold-in would risk an increasing distraction, and it stands to reason Gonzalez will sit out live team drills this summer since he did so this spring.”
However, Callahan also warned that New England needs to be careful with their salary cap. The Patriots just added a big contract with A.J. Brown and QB Drake Maye will eventually need a long-term extension.
“If the Patriots come to believe they can’t extend Gonzalez at a number they find palatable, the franchise tag is not their only option,” Callahan added. “They could give a little ground in negotiations now, extend Gonzalez and plan to offload him later, while they reshape their roster to brace for his eventual departure (drafting a cornerback on Day 1 or Day 2, signing extra pass rushers, etc.)”
Either way, the Patriots need to make sure they keep Gonzalez no matter what.
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