At 23 years old, and with a potential extension on the horizon, it seems the Patriots are investing more than just cash flow in their young cornerback.
Is Christian Gonzalez getting a contract extension this offseason? Time will tell, but there are signs leading in that direction for the 23-year-old New England Patriots cornerback.
If there is any indication that the organization is heavily invested in Gonzalez, even if they haven't signed any paperwork yet to that effect, it's that the team's head coach is prepping him to be a leader out there.
Gonzalez was selected as one of the team captains ahead of Super Bowl LX. Afterwards, Gonzalez said head coach Mike Vrabel told him he plans to make him a more full-on leader on the team.
"Been trying to find my voice, my leadership," Gonzalez said, via a report by Mike Reiss of ESPN. "Everyone knows I'm not much of a gather-the-team-up-and-give-them-a-speech [type of leader]. Vrabes has been helping me with that, talking with me about it. Trying to grow."
Gonzalez was one of the last solid draft picks by Bill Belichick back in 2023. At 17th overall out of Oregon, the young cornerback made a lot of great plays, even in the dark days of the end of the Patriots' dynasty.
Gonzalez acts like a shutdown cornerback should on and off the field. He moves in silence. Never causing a massive scene on or off the field. He does his job, keeping a WR1 on the opposing team from having a career day.
Analysts of the game would agree that the one takeaway from Super Bowl LX regarding the Patriots' success on the field was that Gonzalez made Seahawks' Jaxon Smith-Njigba a non-factor for most of the game.
The two even have respect for each other, meeting as the confetti flew in Seahawks colors after a hard-fought battle out deep down the field.
Vrabel working with Gonzalez on his leadership capabilities should be a good sign for fans of the team, as news of a contract extension is looming this offseason. It shows that Vrabel wants his cornerback around long-term.
Even former Super Bowl-winning Patriots free safety Rodney Harrison agrees that the team needs to get this deal done before the Drake Maye extension comes next year.
Gonzalez is no seasoned veteran; he needs time to grow into that role, which we could see after a payday gets put into place this offseason. The Patriots need a leader in that secondary, even if he isn't a "rah rah" kind of guy, but rather one who leads by example.