I was not present for the third day of Patriots' mini-camp last week (Day 2 was a nothingburger) after Mike Vrabel changed the dates (a first in my 25 years covering the league), but let's just say I've been caught up by various sources, which I appreciate. Here's the result of that intel, starting with a few contractual issues:
• Christian Gonzalez: I would be surprised if this situation doesn't bleed into training camp, at the very least. From what I understand, the Patriots, unless Gonzalez's camp comes to them with some sort of compromise in the interim, are putting this on the back burner until right before camp.
We still don't know how this regime operates compared to the previous one, but the Patriots have a history of not doing deals early unless they get something in return. They have three more years of control of Gonzalez: 2026, 2027 fifth-year option, and 2028 franchise tag. The compromise is to give Gonzalez a modest raise for this season and then use the fifth-year option and franchise tag as the structure of an extension. I'm sure the Patriots would be on board. The question is, would Gonzalez's camp? If they are expecting a new contract that starts with big money this year, I think Gonzalez will be waiting a while, or traded.
Just for reference, because it's gotten a bit out of control with perspective on when extensions were given out for the top corners, here's the cash they were paid in years 4/5: