FOXBOROUGH - About halfway through his first press availability since suffering an ‘injury’ at the end of practice two weeks ago, Christian Gonzalez had to stop in the middle of an answer as Robert Kraft’s helicopter glided down from the blue sky to make a landing at the helipad between the lower and upper practice fields.
In that moment, it was hard not to be struck by the inanity/absurdity of it all. A billionaire owner (many times over) at a standstill with his millionaire cornerback over a new contract, one that threatens to chip away at the strong foundation Mike Vrabel, his coaching staff, and that locker room established a year ago. And make no mistake about it, any rumblings that a deal was close to being done should be flushed from whence they came.
For the first time this summer, Gonzalez admitted to being “frustrated” that he remains without an extension, now 10 days since friend/Seahawk Devon Witherspoon got his record-setting deal in Seattle.
Earlier in the day, Eliot Wolf reiterated Kraft's statement at the start of training camp that the team was offering Gonzalez a contract that would make him the highest-paid cornerback in football, adding, “I'm confident that we're continuing to work on it, and we're positive that we're making momentum.”
Safe to say, the fourth-year pro doesn’t agree.
“I mean, there's certain things that go into a contract that, you know, my team knows what we want,” Gonzalez said of that contractual claim. “So it kind of depends how you put it.”
In other words, the way the Patriots have presented their idea of highest-paid does not jibe with what Gonzalez’s camp wants. Money up front is a massive part of the equation, but so too are the guarantees later down the line. The sense I’ve gotten is the Pats feel like they’ve presented some fair and equitable terms, but in return want some giveback(s?). That has not happened, and the way Gonzalez spoke today and what he chose to answer or not answer tells you there’s a rather large hill left to climb. To wit:
Q: Was your absence the last week-and-a-half injury-related?
“Yeah, you know I'm not gonna get into that. I'm out here now, so it is what it is.”
A simple yes-or-no would have closed that door.
Q: You understand that by not answering that, you are allowing people to speculate that it wasn’t an injury and that you were holding in. Are you okay with that?
“Everything we do is speculated at the end of the day. But I could say something, and then it's still gonna be speculated. So I mean, it is what it is.”
Again, I offered Gonzalez an olive branch, and he chose not to take it.
Q: Are you optimistic a deal will get done?
“I'm focused on week one at this point. I mean, it's been all off-season, so like I said, I feel like the word of the day is it is what it is. So focused on week one and doing what I gotta do.”
That line, "all off-season," is definitely a shot across the bow.
Patriots VP of Player Personnel Ryan Cowden also spoke today and had the misfortune of going after Gonzalez (side note: both Wolf and Cowden were scheduled to talk to us last week during joint practices, but the beat requested they be pushed back. Hence, the notion that they were being available around the cornerback was uninformed).
Cowden added little to the conversation, instead leaning on what Wolf and ownership had said earlier. But he did get cornered when asked if the team would have to consider trading Gonzalez if they can’t reach an agreement.
“I think we’re continuing to work on the negotiation side of Christian,” Cowden said. “I think that’s where that stays.”
Like Gonzalez, Cowden could have said ‘no.’ He didn’t, so read into that what you will.
Meanwhile, that season opener in Seattle is closing fast. Wolf claims there are no deadlines for a deal, one way or another. As for the player, he was non-committal on that front. Ditto to being available on week one if the two sides remained at an impasse.
“I mean, I’m focused on today, on this practice, and see where we go from here,” Gonzalez said.
Not exactly a ringing endorsement, and one that should have Kraft, Wolf and the rest of that front office working nonstop to find common ground with Gonzalez and his camp. If they don’t, and are either without their 2nd team All-Pro corner, or have one that consciously or subconsciously isn’t all in, it would make a repeat of last year’s success a near impossibility, and raise further questions about their management of the asset, and what the ultimate goal here is: winning titles or protecting the fallacy of the salary cap. The reality is: it’s really about the real dollars and cents, something Wolf may have inadvertently spilled when he was asked about how much Drake Maye’s possible extension a year from now impacts the Gonzalez negotiations.
“It's about a cash budget and things like that,” Wolf said. “So we're very aware of the timing of these things, and we're cognizant of having a plan for that and working with Jonathan and Robert, and thankful for their support that they're open and willing for us to be able to sign these great players.”
If Gonzalez doesn’t get done, that statement may age like the socks in my son’s hamper, and all the tropes about ownership and their unwillingness to consistently spend will be at the forefront once again.