SEATTLE — Deadlines spur action, as always.
After months of speculation and even some dire reports in the last 24 hours, the Patriots and cornerback Christian Gonzalez have reached an agreement on a contract extension that will make him the new highest-paid player at his position.
The initial reports only say four years, $135 million, and $102 million guaranteed. At the time of publishing, there were no reports of guaranteed cash at signing. If that holds, it will likely be because Gonzalez and his agents backed down a little bit at the last minute. And they likely got more in future years, which Devon Witherspoon did not.
BSJ ANALYSIS
Pay no attention to the carnival barkers that have been beating this dead horse for months, and those who will continue to say the Patriots already did damage by upholding their reputation.
They are wrong. Nobody