Patriots' Christian Gonzalez frustrated as contract extension talks drag

The Patriots and cornerback Christian Gonzalez still do not have a contract extension in place, and with the regular-season opener closing in, the 2023 first-round pick is openly frustrated by the lack of progress.

In a Tuesday media session, Gonzalez was asked directly about the stalled talks. Asked how frustrating it is that no deal is done, he said it is "frustrating, but I'm focused on the season," and when pressed on whether he remains optimistic, he said he is "focused on Week 1 at this point." He confirmed he is prepared to play Week 1 even without a new contract.

New England's front office has consistently framed the lack of a deal as not a crisis. Executive vice president of player personnel Eliot Wolf said Tuesday the two sides are "continuing to work" and that he is "positive that we're making momentum," and added that neither side has set Week 1 as a deadline.

The holdup comes with the cornerback market freshly reset. Seattle's recent extension for Devon Witherspoon pushed the new-money bar to roughly $33 million per year, a figure widely seen as the template for Gonzalez's deal — yet an agreement has not followed. Gonzalez is under contract for two more seasons, so the urgency sits with the player rather than the team as the Sept. 9 opener approaches.