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"]

[DoubleDeluxe]

Season is two weeks out to the day. At what point do you think resentment will build if it hasn't already?

Until a deal is done.
If a new deal doesn’t come prior to kickoff, you could argue Gonzo would have resentment and not play as hard.
You could also argue not playing hard would damage the value of his deal if it’s deferred till next year.

 

[Thunderhead]

Will people still be defending the Krafts a week from today if Gonzo still isn't signed? Two weeks from today? If he sits out the first month of the season?

Just want to know where that line is.

 

[Thunderhead]

Until a deal is done.
If a new deal doesn’t come prior to kickoff, you could argue Gonzo would have resentment and not play as hard.
You could also argue not playing hard would damage the value of his deal if it’s deferred till next year.

Could argue?! It would be beyond any doubt at that point. He CLEARLY wants to get paid, and wanted it yesterday.

 

[p8ryts]

sick of players always wanting to be the highest paid at their position, which lasts only a year. He's not Witherspoon.

I kind of agree. If he was the player we saw against Njigba, then I say yes. But I didn't see that player that often. Is he above average, yes, but beyond that I don't know.

 

[DoubleDeluxe]

sick of players always wanting to be the highest paid at their position, which lasts only a year. He's not Witherspoon.

Meaning what, you think Witherspoon is better?

 

[Thunderhead]

This was five months ago.

 

[DoubleDeluxe]

Could argue?! It would be beyond any doubt at that point. He CLEARLY wants to get paid, and wanted it yesterday.

Yes, I acknowledged that.
My point is, will that impact his play on the field?
Perhaps.
But that would only damage his value next year if he puts a year of ****ty tape out.
Perhaps he plays pissed off like a man on a mission and has a career year as a **** you to the Pats, forcing an even bigger deal next year or a trade.

 

[Thunderhead]

Yes, I acknowledged that.
My point is, will that impact his play on the field?
Perhaps.
But that would only damage his value next year if he puts a year of ****ty tape out.
Perhaps he plays pissed off like a man on a mission and has a career year as a **** you to the Pats, forcing an even bigger deal next year or a trade.

Good question. I was thinking more about Gonzalez the person and his relationship with the Patriots FO/organization. I think any Pats fan wants Gonzalez to be happy and to WANT to be a Patriot, which becomes less and less likely the longer he goes unsigned.

 

[DoubleDeluxe]

Good question. I was thinking more about Gonzalez the person and his relationship with the Patriots FO/organization. I think any Pats fan wants Gonzalez to be happy and to WANT to be a Patriot, which becomes less and less likely the longer he goes unsigned.

I want him here and happy.
I believe a deal will cure all ills, even if it’s in the 11th hour.
We have to remember that both sides are negotiating. Very well could be Gonzo’s team holding up the deal with some outlandish asks. If those asks are met, it won’t matter if the deal was done a week ago, or the day before kickoff.
Now if the deal is being held up by the Pats on some legitimate asks, that’s a different story.
But none of us know those details, we can speculate all we want.

 

[TheRainMaker]

Breer thinks Gonzalez is going to sit out if a deal isn’t done soon.

Other media is starting to agree.

 

[Uptown]

sick of players always wanting to be the highest paid at their position, which lasts only a year. He's not Witherspoon.

You got that right! He’s better..

 

[slash83]

Breer thinks Gonzalez is going to sit out if a deal isn’t done soon.

Other media is starting to agree.

Good force Kraft to pay up.

 

[upstater1]

Yes, I acknowledged that.
My point is, will that impact his play on the field?
Perhaps.
But that would only damage his value next year if he puts a year of ****ty tape out.
Perhaps he plays pissed off like a man on a mission and has a career year as a **** you to the Pats, forcing an even bigger deal next year or a trade.

If he plays out the year without a contract and plays well, there is no doubt he will be traded. But don't expect much in a trade. Gardner was traded for 2 #1s because his contract was locked up. Gonzalez will not be the same. The team trading for him will know they are giving up ($39-40m a year [11% of cap]) and they will not give you more than a 2nd rounder for the privilege of that kind of payout. Gonzalez will be incentivized in the last year of his contract to hit the free agent market without a trade, so he has absolutely no incentive to agree to a smaller contract at that point.

His only incentive right now to agreeing to a smaller deal with the Patriots than he wants is the prospect of not hitting it big until March of 2028.

Once that incentive passes, he can wait until March 2028 unless someone breaks the bank in a trade with the Patriots.

That's why now is the time. Now... or never.

 

[RobertWeathers]

Good force Kraft to pay up.

It's hard to armchair QB these negotiations.

Kraft is on record as saying they have a proposal in place to make him the highest paid CB. I believe him.

Clearly Gonzo has an issue with something pertaining to the deal structure and/or believes (according to Curran) should be paid as if its a 2027 league year. That is a slippery slope.

It takes two sides to agree to a deal.

 

[mgteich]

sick of players always wanting to be the highest paid at their position, which lasts only a year. He's not Witherspoon.

so is Gonzo

He wants to be the best paid in 2026, 2027 and 2028

 

[mgteich]

Until a deal is done.
If a new deal doesn’t come prior to kickoff, you could argue Gonzo would have resentment and not play as hard.
You could also argue not playing hard would damage the value of his deal if it’s deferred till next year.

A good deal is really a 2-year deal. Gonzo needs to be comfortable with the bonus plus salary plus incnentives for th 2 years. Ditto for the team.

IN 2 years, Gonzo can review the contract, new money and the market. He will then be able to evaluate his 4 yer contract, along with guarantees against the market. I don't see us being able to do anything about this other than preparing, having a backup, and be ready to trade him after 2 seasons if he pushes too hard.

We weren't prepared now. How could we be?

He'll likely get his $44M-$50M bonus plus his 2026 and 2027 salaries ($32M to $35M AAV). The rest is subject to renegotiation in 2 years.

 

[ScottishPatriots]

The Patriots defense without Gonzalez, a serious lack of edge talent is one injury away from becoming a bad defense.

Could literally fall off of a cliff with one injury.

 

[50-yard-line]

At this point, the deal would have already been done but it sounds like everyone is locked in, which means it won't get done.

If he doesn't sign a deal now, the Patriots will definitely have to trade him at some point, either in the coming days, in the middle of the season, or right after the season. He'll be worth a lot less at that point, however.

If he plays the season without a contract, he's just going to up the ante. He will then be impossible to sign because he'll have even greater demands and the Patriots will be in a corner with the salary cap.

Well, he's on the books for $2.25 this year and $18.11 next year...then they can franchise him. The kid could literally ruin his career at this point, and over what? If you're pulling more than $31m/year with 80-100m in guaranteed money, you'll never want for anything. Ever. Not ever, unless you're incredibly stupid. The difference between having (net) 60million and 80 million is... There is no difference.

The Pats don't have to do ANYTHING. We don't know what Gonzo is asking for, but if it's a %-cap escalator, Kraft will hold the line. The owner's won't want to play that kind of game (because every other top corner would start *****ing), is my belief.

I'm almost always with the players in these kind of deals, as I can't stand most of the owners and the way they do business outside of the salaries (and with the salaries as well). But Gonzales is arguably a top-3 CB in the league, no one's doubting that. He'll be the highest paid, great. But not the highest paid by 10m/year. No way. No how.

This won't be Gonzales' last contract, either.

 

[50-yard-line]

Will people still be defending the Krafts a week from today if Gonzo still isn't signed? Two weeks from today? If he sits out the first month of the season?

Just want to know where that line is.

If the Krafts are offering a deal that shorts guaranteed money, or some other clauses that make it look way better than it really is or should be, they'll rightfully get the blame. If they're offering him the best CB contract in the league, then it's on him. This isn't about whether they're cheap or not at that point - it's about how good a TEAM they can put on the field. Look at KC and Buffalo as prime examples of how massive contracts can cripple a TEAM.

 

[RobertWeathers]

Well, he's on the books for $2.25 this year and $18.11 next year...then they can franchise him. The kid could literally ruin his career at this point, and over what? If you're pulling more than $31m/year with 80-100m in guaranteed money, you'll never want for anything. Ever. Not ever, unless you're incredibly stupid. The difference between having (net) 60million and 80 million is... There is no difference.

The Pats don't have to do ANYTHING. We don't know what Gonzo is asking for, but if it's a %-cap escalator, Kraft will hold the line. The owner's won't want to play that kind of game (because every other top corner would start *****ing), is my belief.

I'm almost always with the players in these kind of deals, as I can't stand most of the owners and the way they do business outside of the salaries (and with the salaries as well). But Gonzales is arguably a top-3 CB in the league, no one's doubting that. He'll be the highest paid, great. But not the highest paid by 10m/year. No way. No how.

This won't be Gonzales' last contract, either.

Kraft would rather have BB give him a massage than sign off on a Gonzo a deal which the AAV increases based on the annual cap # or new deals signed after his.

The other 31 owners would destroy him.