Curran: "In my estimation... [Gonzo would like to] be treated as if he's at the table in 2027." [previous title: "say goodbye to gonzo"]

[Raccoonsuit]

Why isn't he signed at this point? This is so dumb. The contracts in the last decade have exploded. Just sign him. Qb, de, and CB are 3 positions you just pay out the ass if you have a stud.

It will be a bargain in 2 seasons.

 

[Real fan 02]

Ridiculous trade proposal, even at the worst iteration of a Gonzalez trade, AT LEAST a 1st round pick has to come back. Maybe two 1st round picks.

Probably wouldn't even trade him for that.. Talents like Gonzo are generational his coverage abilities so unique and rare. On his contract I don't think the hold up is the team I believe It's Gonzo's camp. A deal gets done before week 1..

 

[cmasspatsfan]

Kinda shocked by how little talk there is of the Gonzalez contract situation. Guess there have been no new updates recently so just spinning our tires, but when will the average Pats fan start to take issue with the way this has unfolded?

Why is it always beyond pulling teeth when it comes to the Patriots and big contracts?

Usually because they want to pay as little as possible. Not sure that's the case here, Gonzo wants more than a dollar more than the highest paid CB., he wants more than the highest paid CB in 2028, I wonder if he really wants to be here.

 

[mgteich]

he wants more than the highest paid CB in 2028, I wonder if he really wants to be here.

He doesn't want to be here if he can play for another team who is willing to pay him that will pay him the top projected 2028 market rate now?

At some point the team will allow his agent to talk to other teams. Then he will better know how much he can get from which teams. Of course, the compensation to the patriots must make the deal acceptable to the patriots. As always. DAL stands out as a possibility in such speculation.

 

[TheRainMaker]

If Gonzalez wants to bet on himself, I'm all for it. I don't like paying players until it's absolutely necessary.

 

[Football2007]

The odds of finding a CB that is just as good/better than Gonzo are slim. They don't grow on trees.

Imagine an AFC title game or SB when an elite QB is picking on the non legit #1 CB?

 

[n1997y]

If Gonzo is traded Carlton Davis is CB1.

Who is then CB2? Woods?

 

[patfanken]

If Gonzo isn't signed by Monday, then you can bet it's because it's because he/agent wants to reset the market kind of deal,not just one that makes him the highest paid CB in the league.

I'm against doing that. Gonzo is VERY good, but he's no Revis... yet.

I don’t know what his stats are compared to his peers, but I do know one. He had ZERO picks in the regular season and ONE In the playoffs, and that one was on a badly under thrown ball that you or I could have made

I don’t know how many he has in his career, but I would bet it's under 5. (Edit- I was right. 3 regular season picks to go along with the one in Denver. ) Giving a market reset deal would be too much of a risk for a guy who has that kind of hole in his game, AND has only one season where he showed he was an asset in the run game.
.
If a deal isn't done by Monday and he's back practicing, then I'll pretty much be done with him. THEN he will.have shown me that he's a ME guy and not a WE guy, and take the offer that will pay him around $32mm/yr. OFF the table and make him play for the $3mm he is due this year and like it.. .and how stupid would he be if he did THAT

 

[Tunescribe]

If Gonzo isn't signed by Monday, then you can bet it's because it's because he/agent wants to reset the market kind of deal,not just one that makes him the highest paid CB in the league.

I'm against doing that. Gonzo is VERY good, but he's no Revis... yet.

I don’t know what his stats are compared to his peers, but I do know one. He had ZERO picks in the regular season and ONE In the playoffs, and that one was on a badly under thrown ball that you or I could have made

I don’t know how many he has in his career, but I would bet it's under 5. (Edit- I was right. 3 regular season picks to go along with the one in Denver. ) Giving a market reset deal would be too much of a risk for a guy who has that kind of hole in his game, AND has only one season where he showed he was an asset in the run game.
.
If a deal isn't done by Monday and he's back practicing, then I'll pretty much be done with him. THEN he will.have shown me that he's a ME guy and not a WE guy, and take the offer that will pay him around $32mm/yr. OFF the table and make him play for the $3mm he is due this year and like it.. .and how stupid would he be if he did THAT

Agreed. I'm trying not to sour on the kid but am sick of this contract melodrama dragging on. He lost my faith in him as a team-first guy with that childish "gimme the money" gesture at the Celtics game. Yes, we need him, but not unless he's all-in.

 

[condon84]

I'm against doing that. Gonzo is VERY good, but he's no Revis... yet.

Exactly this.

He was great in the SB and that's the lasting memory people have, but he struggled against Flowers, McMillan, and London last year.

Gonzo is a really good player, but the type of contract they (Gonzo and his team) are expecting seems overkill.

He should bet on himself and play this year out. It makes no difference for us fans. If he balls out and is like the SB every game, then he's worth whatever contract he wants.

 

[mgteich]

. and make him play for the $3mm he is due this year and like it.. .and how stupid would he be if he did THAT

Gonzo would indeed be very stupid if he did that. He wouldn't risk injury for 18 or 19 games for $2M a year. He would play the minimum 6 games needed for the season to accrue and then have a minor injury as he has now.

 

[mgteich]

If Gonzo isn't signed by Monday, then you can bet it's because it's because he/agent wants to reset the market kind of deal,not just one that makes him the highest paid CB in the league.

I'm against doing that. Gonzo is VERY good, but he's no Revis... yet.

I don’t know what his stats are compared to his peers, but I do know one. He had ZERO picks in the regular season and ONE In the playoffs, and that one was on a badly under thrown ball that you or I could have made

I don’t know how many he has in his career, but I would bet it's under 5. (Edit- I was right. 3 regular season picks to go along with the one in Denver. ) Giving a market reset deal would be too much of a risk for a guy who has that kind of hole in his game, AND has only one season where he showed he was an asset in the run game.
.
If a deal isn't done by Monday and he's back practicing, then I'll pretty much be done with him. THEN he will.have shown me that he's a ME guy and not a WE guy, and take the offer that will pay him around $32mm/yr. OFF the table and make him play for the $3mm he is due this year and like it.. .and how stupid would he be if he did THAT

2026-2027 $20M
2028-2032 $96M

What are you suggesting as an additional bonus, or do you expect some of the $96M to be moved to bonus?
What are you suggesting as the guarantee?

If the additional compensation for 2026-2027 is zero, I would wonder why Gonzo's folks are even talking. The amount must be more.

 

[DarrylS]

If Gonzo isn't signed by Monday, then you can bet it's because it's because he/agent wants to reset the market kind of deal,not just one that makes him the highest paid CB in the league.

I'm against doing that. Gonzo is VERY good, but he's no Revis... yet.

I don’t know what his stats are compared to his peers, but I do know one. He had ZERO picks in the regular season and ONE In the playoffs, and that one was on a badly under thrown ball that you or I could have made

I don’t know how many he has in his career, but I would bet it's under 5. (Edit- I was right. 3 regular season picks to go along with the one in Denver. ) Giving a market reset deal would be too much of a risk for a guy who has that kind of hole in his game, AND has only one season where he showed he was an asset in the run game.
.
If a deal isn't done by Monday and he's back practicing, then I'll pretty much be done with him. THEN he will.have shown me that he's a ME guy and not a WE guy, and take the offer that will pay him around $32mm/yr. OFF the table and make him play for the $3mm he is due this year and like it.. .and how stupid would he be if he did THAT

Well said as usual, I agree with your idea of crapping or get off the pot.
Gonzalez is great, but the lack of int's are telling.
No need for this much drama, the offer of the Pats is reasonable.

 

[Water Boy]

Agreed. I'm trying not to sour on the kid but am sick of this contract melodrama dragging on. He lost my faith in him as a team-first guy with that childish "gimme the money" gesture at the Celtics game. Yes, we need him, but not unless he's all-in.

I'm tired of this soap opera too. His agent negotiated the Witherspoon deal. If those terms were good enough for that client, why shouldn't they be good enough for Gonzo plus a little extra. Its all ego at this point. Not good enough apparently for him to take his turn in line and become the highest paid CB with the type of generational wealth that only % .02 of the US population has according to Google, which he could easily parlay through investments to push the decimal points even lower. He wants to be the king of the hill salary-wise into the future apparently. I'm all for free market capitalism, but does he view himself as the Rosa Parks of CB's, trying to redefine the CB salary scale? What a hero.

 

[BennyBledsoe]

Is it smart for him to shoot for the moon? Sure, why not. He's young, he's extremely talented.

Is it smart for the Patriots to not want to set a massive new precedent for the guy? Also yep. I'd pay him top cornerback money. Lack of INTs don't concern me as much as it seems to concern others. If nobody throws your way, there's nothing for you to intercept. Modern QBs also are far more cautious with the ball than old school QBs. Most pre-21st century QBs, even HOF ones were doing good if the TD to INT ratio was like 2 to 1.

Bledsoe made the Pro Bowl in '94 despite throwing 27 INTs to 25 TDs.

It's just a different age for DBs and interceptions. Deion Sanders made INTs because he would bait QBs to throw and then use his supreme makeup speed to pick the ball off. Most DBs are not that talented.

 

[Huckleberry1]

If Gonzalez wants to bet on himself, I'm all for it. I don't like paying players until it's absolutely necessary.

If he wants 27' money he should have to play on his current deal until the 27 offseason starts. Same goes for 28'. I would love to see them make him the highest paid CB with the most guaranteed money, but expecting to stay that throughout the deal is a deal breaker.

 

[Huckleberry1]

Kinda shocked by how little talk there is of the Gonzalez contract situation. Guess there have been no new updates recently so just spinning our tires, but when will the average Pats fan start to take issue with the way this has unfolded?

Why is it always beyond pulling teeth when it comes to the Patriots and big contracts?

So now you aren't just crying about the Patriots you are crying about other fans not crying enough about the Patriots.

 

[upstater1]

Exactly this.

He was great in the SB and that's the lasting memory people have, but he struggled against Flowers, McMillan, and London last year.

Gonzo is a really good player, but the type of contract they (Gonzo and his team) are expecting seems overkill.

He should bet on himself and play this year out. It makes no difference for us fans. If he balls out and is like the SB every game, then he's worth whatever contract he wants.

I think he's much better than this. He's on a level the league has rarely seen. He covers such huge areas. And a lot of the big plays attributed to Gonzalez messing up were actually blown coverages by Hawkins (certainly Flowers, and definitely the bomb to Sutton in the AFCG). With Byard in the mix, we were about to see an even more effective Patriots secondary this year. Hawkins was such a weak link.

 

[Huckleberry1]

If Gonzo isn't signed by Monday, then you can bet it's because it's because he/agent wants to reset the market kind of deal,not just one that makes him the highest paid CB in the league.

I'm against doing that. Gonzo is VERY good, but he's no Revis... yet.

I don’t know what his stats are compared to his peers, but I do know one. He had ZERO picks in the regular season and ONE In the playoffs, and that one was on a badly under thrown ball that you or I could have made

I don’t know how many he has in his career, but I would bet it's under 5. (Edit- I was right. 3 regular season picks to go along with the one in Denver. ) Giving a market reset deal would be too much of a risk for a guy who has that kind of hole in his game, AND has only one season where he showed he was an asset in the run game.
.
If a deal isn't done by Monday and he's back practicing, then I'll pretty much be done with him. THEN he will.have shown me that he's a ME guy and not a WE guy, and take the offer that will pay him around $32mm/yr. OFF the table and make him play for the $3mm he is due this year and like it.. .and how stupid would he be if he did THAT

Disagree Ken, Gonzalez is the hardest CB in football to throw against, and he has only allowed 1 touchdown in 3 years, which imo is much more important than interceptions, and he's an excellent run defender, that is not something that just comes and goes. Top corners don't get as many interceptions because teams do everything they can to throw away from them.

That said I don't think they should give him Will Anderson or Myles Garrett money. I would offer him the highest CB money by more than a million per, and give him the most guaranteed money, but not escalate clauses that keep him there throughout the deal. Put the deal in the table and leave it there, he can sign it when he wants 209 million plus in his pocket, if he doesn't then have him play out the deal plus a franchise year, until or unless he decides to sign it.

 

[rkarp1]

I continue to maintain the hold up is the "when", not the "how much"
having Gonzo sign a deal today that kicks in after his current deal expires (2028) is a bad deal for Gonzo
Gonzo getting onto the field without a new deal is a bad deal for Gonzo

the middle ground is $33-$35m AAV starting in 2026
his current money due is turned into a sign bonus.
$100m+ guaranteed

the numbers are almost cut and dry
when the deal starts is the hold up