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"]

[TheRainMaker]

This was five months ago.

He was showing us his manicure.

 

[Thunderhead]

He was showing us his manicure.

Bob got him a great deal at Orchids

 

[ScottishPatriots]

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.

You have to be pretty deluded to believe Gonzalez wants 10m a year more or a cap esculator, the same agent just did the Witherspoon deal so he's going to have to go back to his other client and explain how he got essentially 25% less?

If Gonzalez truly wanted that then he's not only not getting it but also a trade would be impossible because no one is going to pay it and you never see a jump like that in the history of the NFL from one contract to the next, you're falling for the Kraft PR spin.

Gonzalez will be like every other player who comes up, Patriots will be trying to fudge the guarantees as usual and if he gets traded he'll sign a new deal somewhere for the same bump everyone else gets it'll be a couple of million more than the last guy.

Asking for 10m more in total guarantees than Witherspoon would make sense that's likely only 2m a year more, that's within the normal type of bump range.

 

[Mack Herron]

 

[upstater1]

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.

But given the rules, he only has to play about half the season next year and the one following before any additional franchise tags become unmanageable. No team is going to go through that.

In fact, if you count out the RBs who are always franchised, there isn't a good example of a star playing the season under the franchise tag. Tee Higgins is one but he was coming back from a severe injury. That year was a PROVE IT year for Higgins. Other players were marginal at best, like Mike Gesicki and Jessie Bates III.

Dak Prescott in 2020 is the last one, and right before him, Leonard Williams. So we're going back 7 years (and it will be 9 years if Gonzalez gets the tag for his 6th year).

9 years is quite a few years apart for star players playing under the tag (I excluded running backs because they are always being franchised because no one wants to extend their contracts).

 

[upstater1]

If a deal is reached, people here need to be prepared to see Gonzalez getting a deal $3 or $4m above Witherspoon.

Because I'm sure Gonzalez is looking at the deals that other defenders are getting. Witherspoon got Jeffrey Simmons money. Gonzalez is looking at TJ Watt, Jalen Carter, Aiden Hutchinson.

 

[50-yard-line]

If a deal is reached, people here need to be prepared to see Gonzalez getting a deal $3 or $4m above Witherspoon.

Because I'm sure Gonzalez is looking at the deals that other defenders are getting. Witherspoon got Jeffrey Simmons money. Gonzalez is looking at TJ Watt, Jalen Carter, Aiden Hutchinson.

If they're that close, I think he's worth it. The kid can play.

 

[Diffs4]

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.

AJ Terrell played out the fourth year of his contract and resigned with the Falcons. I agree they will get less if they trade him than they would if he is under contract. They will not get two firsts. But KC got a first from LA for McDuffie with no contract. They should be able to get the same.

I prefer he gets signed to a long term contract and stays with the team. But it takes two to tango. I would sign him to a contract even if the plan is to trade him in two years. At least that way, you probably do get two first round picks and you would have him for the next two years and you can plan for his departure. It would cost the team the bonuses to be paid in each of the first two years but that is why you would get the two first round picks.

 

[50-yard-line]

You have to be pretty deluded to believe Gonzalez wants 10m a year more or a cap esculator, the same agent just did the Witherspoon deal so he's going to have to go back to his other client and explain how he got essentially 25% less?

If Gonzalez truly wanted that then he's not only not getting it but also a trade would be impossible because no one is going to pay it and you never see a jump like that in the history of the NFL from one contract to the next, you're falling for the Kraft PR spin.

Gonzalez will be like every other player who comes up, Patriots will be trying to fudge the guarantees as usual and if he gets traded he'll sign a new deal somewhere for the same bump everyone else gets it'll be a couple of million more than the last guy.

Asking for 10m more in total guarantees than Witherspoon would make sense that's likely only 2m a year more, that's within the normal type of bump range.

I'm neither deluded nor falling for anything. I put the appropriate caveats in my post. "If."

I don't know where they're at, nor do you.

 

[Diffs4]

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.

Or a trade in two years.

 

[n1997y]

…
is the current deal changed to a bonus, and the new deal kicks in immediately?

this could be a stumbling block, if Gonzo wants to replace his current deal and have the new contract start now.

If they’ve agreed on a four year term and then he wants to have it start now instead of after his existing contract that means it’s really only a two year extension. With the kind of money he’s getting the team won’t want to see it be that short.

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 QB. 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.

Exactly. Even just the length of the contract can be a very contentious issue. And the timing of bonus payments, stuff like that.