The saga is finally over -- the New England Patriots have signed star cornerback Christian Gonzalez to a four-year, $135 million contract extension (with $102 million guaranteed), according to NFL insider Jordan Schultz. This deal makes the Oregon alum the highest-paid cornerback in NFL history (breaking Devon Witherspoon's record that he set not even a month ago, and by only $3 million).
There were legitimate concerns that Gonzalez not only wouldn't play in tomorrow's season opener, but that his days in New England could have been numbered had the two sides not agreed to a deal. I guess we won't have to worry about that anymore, and Patriots fans should be thrilled about it.
The entire fanbase had been clamoring for a deal to get done, no matter what it took. That wish has officially been granted, and retaining Gonzalez will put the Patriots in a good spot to compete now and for the long haul.
Christian Gonzalez will continue playing a key role on Patriots' defense
I may sound like a broken record at this point, but it's true: Gonzalez is New England's best defensive player (and one of the best cornerbacks in the entire NFL), and the team needed to keep him around to establish themselves as long-term title contenders.
The Patriots' entire defense is centered around the Texas native and his strengths. Gonzalez is already one of the best cornerbacks in the game, and it would have been all kinds of bad if they hadn't struck a deal to keep him around for the long run.
Need I remind you that New England probably would have suffered a bigger blowout loss against the Seattle Seahawks in the Super Bowl if it hadn't been for Gonzalez and his clutch plays (no exaggeration)? Obviously, defense in the NFL doesn't boil down to just one player playing well, but it's still very clear that Gonzalez is the most valuable player on the unit, and things would have looked way, way, way worse if he weren't in the picture anymore.
Regardless of how long it took and how frustrating all of this was, all that matters is that Gonzalez put pen to paper and is set to remain in New England for the foreseeable future. And that's a great thing. The Patriots were never going to find a replacement for him (especially within the next couple of years), and it would have been a massive mistake letting him go.
As it stands, the Patriots are looking to bounce back from their Super Bowl loss and prove that last year's run was just the start of something special. And now that they have Gonzalez (who is just 24 years old, by the way) locked up, they're going to be in a fantastic position to make that happen.
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