FOXBOROUGH - Christian Gonzalez may have been at the start of mandatory mini-camp on Tuesday, but to say he was anything other than a casual bystander would be stretching the truth.
Yes, Gonzalez appeared with the first-team field goal block unit, and again during a couple of walk-through portions of the session, but I’m not sure he even broke a sweat. Mostly, he stood with a cadre of other defensive players and watched, mostly with his helmet off.
But this is what we expected. Players get fined when they miss mandatory practices, but thanks to the new(er) CBA, those fines can’t be waived once a player eventually reports or signs a new deal. So Gonzalez did the prudent thing, ensuring that the money he’s owed still comes his way.
“Yeah, I mean, I got obligations,” he said. “I’m here.”
Yes, but with no real news about getting that extension that he is now eligible for. In fact, Gonzalez wisely took the Sergeant Schulz approach (I’m old and I’m okay with it) when asked about the contract. To wit:
Are you making progress?
“That's up to my agents and the team, and I hope we get something done.”
Are you optimistic?
“I hope so.”
Rephrase, is there optimism?
“I mean, that's - it's between them two, I mean, both sides to get it done, and like I said, I want to be here, so that's what I'm gonna say.”
Is it important for you to be the highest-paid corner in football?
“That's another question that is between my agents and the Patriots and that team, and what they value me at.”
Yeah, but is that where you value yourself?
“I mean, like I said, it’s between the two sides.”
Nothing has even remotely surfaced about what Gonzalez and his reps (CAA) are asking for, or whether the Patriots are in the same ballpark. Obviously, Gonzalez stayed away from most of the voluntary portion of the offseason program, instead choosing to get his work in down in Texas. And while he says he wants to remain in New England, the financials will play a major role in that decision. The current clubhouse leader for cornerbacks is Trent McDuffie, who secured $100 million in guarantees from the Rams (1st) and an average annual value of $31 million. Then it goes Sauce Gardner, Derek Stingley Jr, Jaycee Horn, Jalen Ramsey and Patrick Surtain (though his new numbers are not yet filed). Meanwhile, Seahawks corner Devon Witherspoon, also a WIN Sports Group client, is also in the market for his own extension. Could Gonzalez be waiting on that deal to get settled before working on his?
“That's my guy,” he said of Witherspoon. “We talked a couple of days ago. … we talked a good amount, but not even about contracts. We just talked, checking on each other, seeing how each other is doing, and just catch up.”
Unlike Gonzalez, Witherspoon has been a full participant in the Seahawks' offseason schedule. No idea if that stance will change come training camp. Gonzalez wouldn’t make any proclamations about that either.
“We got a long time to the season,” he said when asked if he would play this year under his current deal. “So, it's still pretty early in the off-season. So, you know, I’m focused on being here, being here for the team, and doing my role and what I'm here for for this weekend (err, week) and focus on that.”
In other words, plenty of time to get this done, but the clock is ticking and what is an annoyance now could become a much more significant problem when training camp begins in late July.
MEANWHILE…
Another player who has been staying away this offseason not only showed up for Tuesday’s practice, but was a full participant. Of course, Kayshon Boutte doesn’t have nearly the clout to play games with the Patriots' front office as Gonzalez does, but he wisely protected his money as well by being in Foxborough.
Boutte called his previous absence a “personal decision,” reminding us that it was the voluntary part of the program, but “it’s mandatory and I’m here now.”
He has also made it clear to the team he wouldn’t mind being traded. The Pats tried - and failed - to make that happen around the NFL draft. Is there a market for him now? League sources believe the best the organization can do is a day-three pick. and maybe even a later one at that. Obviously, all things equal, Boutte could probably find more opportunities - and targets - elsewhere. And that still seems to be the most likely of scenarios. Until then, he’s under contract.
“I mean, I wouldn't mind being here,’ he said, before catching himself and adjusting course. “I do want to be here, obviously. … whether that's ‘X’,’ Z’, ‘F’, like whatever I got to do that's best for me. So, whether it is learning the playbook more, moving around - I mean, there’s only one football. It's five of us…”
Boutte is an interesting case study. He’s been a productive player when given chances, and has surely matured from what he was as a rookie or even early in his second year to what he’s becoming now.
But as he enters the final year of his rookie contract, Boutte looks around and sees a crowded wide receiver room, including the undeniable presence of A.J. Brown. Brown just so happens to play most of his snaps as the ‘X’ receiver, which is where Boutte has made most of his living thus far. That’s going to make it even more difficult to get the numbers necessary to find a payday next year.
“It's been getting crowded every year,” Boutte said of the additions of Brown and Romeo Doubs. “We find ourselves in the same position at the beginning of every season, every off-season, but I mean, at the end of the day, still got to come to training camp and fight. No spot is given, no matter who it is.”
Perhaps, but the financial investments in the aforementioned duo - and trade compensation for Brown - put them in a different category than Boutte, and while he’s saying all the right things (mostly), he knows. And so do the Patriots.
LASTLY
You may have been wondering where second-round pick Gabe Jacas is. The answer: not here. The rookie has yet to sign his contract - second-rounders have started pushing to have all four of their years guaranteed - but that doesn’t seem to be the driving force behind his absence.
“I do not attribute it to anything other than he is not here and that he is not under contract at this current time,” Mike Vrabel said. “So, I do not want to say that there is a reason for it other than that is what it is right now.”
This goes beyond the contract. Jacas hasn’t been seen on the football field since rookie mini-camp, and that day, it was just a brief cameo. As it turns out, he’s not healthy.
“Yeah, he had a procedure,” Vrabel said when I asked if it was something physical, adding, “and he is not under contract.”
I followed up to see if the team was aware of the issue (we still don’t know exactly what it is) before the draft.
“Again, he just had to have a procedure, and he is not under contract,” he repeated. “So, we are excited about Gabe, the person that he is, the play style, his production in college and all that. So, when that gets resolved, we will have him in here and we will coach him, and I am sure we will find a way for him to help our football team.”
That said, Vrabel and outside linebacker coach Mike Smith admitted that Jacas will be behind the eight-ball whenever he returns. When you look at the team’s depth chart, you’ll notice it was awfully thin even with Jacas a part of the group. Now, if he can’t get up to speed quickly, that spot looks even shakier, making me wonder if the Pats will dip into a group of unsigned free agents at the spot (Joey Bosa, Cam Jordan, Jadaveon Clowney, A.J. Epenesa, etc).