New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel has been complimentary towards cornerback Christian Gonzalez since he was hired. Vrabel has referred to him as one of the best players on the team, which is why Vrabel alluded to playing “cat coverage” on defense this season.
Although Gonzalez just secured the first Pro Bowl selection of his career and was named an All-Pro in 2024, I believe it took 16 weeks of the season for Gonzalez to prove to Vrabel that he is, in fact, a top-tier cornerback in the NFL.
It was a slow start for Gonzalez after he began the season on injured reserve, but since he returned in Week 5, Gonzalez has shown Vrabel that he can step up and make a play when it matters the most in critical moments for the team. I think it was Week 16, going up against one of the best running backs in the NFL, along with an MVP quarterback, in Derrick Henry and Lamar Jackson, that proved something to Vrabel.
In the second half on Sunday, Gonzalez made two key plays that really impressed Vrabel, and it shows by the way he reacted on the sidelines. One of the plays was in pass coverage while the other was in the run game, showcasing his versatility by making plays all over the field.
In the third quarter, Gonzalez tackled Henry while he was being stiff-armed. Then, in the fourth quarter, he broke up a pass on first down right in front of his head coach, who was pumped up on the sidelines after the play. Gonzalez finished the game with the fifth-most tackles (7) while playing on 100% of the defensive snaps (55).
Pats CB Christian Gonzalez Has Impressed Mike Vrabel In First Season
Vrabel has high expectations for Gonzalez as one of the best players on the defense. He expects him to shut down the opposing team’s best receivers and make the plays that star cornerbacks make. During his postgame press conference on Sunday night, Vrabel expressed his gratitude towards Gonzalez in a new and impressive manner that he hasn’t displayed towards him yet this season.
“Even just looking at Gonzo’s tackle, when it got on the edge and the stiff-arm and breaking it down, something that we had talked about and practiced and tried to get and held him to four yards and, you know, I thought there was a switch there, especially from Gonzo in a sequence where he stabs the ball out, we blitz him; he blitzed with a demeanor. And I look out there because we need him and he’s out there as the corner on the punt return. And I told him, and this isn’t going to be a shock, those are the efforts that we need to have from him. Our best players have to play good each and every week for us to win.”
For what it’s worth, Vrabel is only less than one full year from being hired as the head coach. He is still constructing his team by trying to build a core foundation of players that he can build around for the future. So far this season, Vrabel has rewarded some of those players who have checked off the boxes to what he’s looking for with contract extensions during the season. Marcus Jones was the first, and then, most recently, backup offensive lineman Ben Brown inked an extension.
Although Gonzalez still has a couple of years remaining on his contract, which includes a fifth-year team option for 2027, he becomes extension eligible this offseason, and it could be the start of those conversations happening. It’s worth mentioning that the decision on exercising the fifth-year option, despite it being a no-brainer, has to be made this offseason.
The baseline for Gonzalez’s extension is going to be similar to what Sauce Gardner received from the New York Jets in the summer of 2025, with a four-year, $120.4 million contract extension. It included $40.5 million in guaranteed money, and it made him the highest-paid cornerback in the NFL.
Gardner was drafted in the first round, just one year before Gonzalez was also drafted in the first round. Although Gardner is an elite cornerback and one of the top guys in the league, Gonzalez has performed similarly, if not better, than Gardner over the last season and a half, which includes a 2024 season that propelled the Jets to extend him.
- Gardner: 49 tackles, 9 pass deflections, 1 interception
- Gonzalez: 59 tackles, 11 pass deflections, 2 interceptions, 1 fumble recovery
Gonzalez has performed at the same level as the best cornerbacks in the league. He might not have as many interceptions as some of the other top players, but it’s largely due to the quarterbacks not throwing his way too often, as his reputation of shutting down receivers precedes him. He finishes with more tackles than most corners, and he hasn’t missed any tackles this season, according to Pro Football Focus, which ranks first in the NFL.
Vrabel takes the construction of his defense very seriously. He fully understands the importance of a defense for a team that has a young quarterback, as he was part of a dynasty that had a strong defense with a young quarterback on the other side of the ball right here in New England.
This has been an important season for Gonzalez and his future with the Patriots, with Vrabel arriving with high expectations for him. I’d say Week 16 against the Ravens proved to Vrabel that Gonzalez is truly a legitimate and elite cornerback in the NFL.