Christian Gonzalez is one of the few foundational pieces the Patriots have actually built correctly in recent years. So the fact that we're even asking whether the team will pay him is both absurd and telling about where this franchise sits right now.
Here's the reality: Gonzalez is a legitimate NFL cornerback. He's on the roster. He's at training camp. And Mike Vrabel and Eliot Wolf have real decisions to make about whether to lock him up long-term or let him walk when his deal expires. That's not a routine conversation to be having about a player the team drafted to be a cornerstone.
The math probably works in Gonzalez's favor. The cornerback market has only climbed, and if he's healthy and producing, paying him now beats the alternative—either franchising him year after year or watching him test free agency and sign elsewhere. The team clearly values him enough to keep him active on the roster alongside a deep secondary room that includes Carlton Davis III, Kindle Vildor, and others competing for snaps. That's the kind of depth you build around a player you believe in.
But here's where it gets tricky: we don't know the specifics of Gonzalez's current deal, his injury history, or how tightly Wolf is managing the cap. Vrabel came in to build a roster with sustainable structure. That means making hard choices. Sometimes that means the guy you liked three years ago doesn't fit the budget anymore, even if he's still good. It's cold, but it's how you actually build something.
My take? They sign him. Not because it's easy, but because cornerback is too important and the market won't get cheaper. But they do it on a deal that makes sense for both sides—realistic money, realistic terms. Not a bloated albatross, but not a discount either. That's the Vrabel way.