Christian Gonzalez is one of the best cornerbacks in the entire NFL, and he's only 24 years old and has just three seasons under his belt (and, no exaggeration, may have singlehandedly saved the New England Patriots from being even more embarrassed by the Seattle Seahawks in Super Bowl LX).
The Oregon alum is eligible for a contract extension this year, and given that he has already made it clear he wants to stay in New England for at least a little while longer, this really shouldn't be much of a debate.
No matter what it takes, the Patriots need to do whatever they can to bring Gonzalez back. He is crucial to their success on defense and is someone they can build the unit around. And on top of that, it seems like he's held in a very high regard among the NFL circle.
Gonzo was ranked the No. 3 best cornerback in football
(The World Cup is still going on... so maybe I'll just say in "American football" for the rest of the writing out of respect? ... We'll see what happens.)
According to ESPN's NFL player rankings (they surveyed league executives, coaches, and scouts), Gonzalez was ranked as the third-best cornerback in the league, three spots higher than his No. 6 ranking last year. Denver Broncos cornerback Patrick Surtain II finished No. 1 (valid), and Houston Texans cornerback Derek Stingley Jr. finished second (Kayshon Boutte's random dominance over him aside, he is definitely deserving of a top spot. But is he better than Gonzo? It's tough to say).
The Patriots have a bright future, and most of that has to do with Drake Maye, who is fresh off an MVP-caliber season and should only continue to improve from here. But this team is built to succeed because of its defense, especially under Mike Vrabel, and it all starts with keeping Gonzalez around for as long as possible.
New England has a long history of star cornerbacks on championship teams -- Ty Law, Asante Samuel, Darrelle Revis, Malcolm Butler, and Stephon Gilmore --, and they might have it with Gonzalez. He has already proved to be one of the best cornerbacks in the NFL, and the rest of the league is taking notice.
The Patriots need to keep Gonzalez under contract for as long as possible, and with the new season just a couple of months away, they need to make it happen sooner rather than later.
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