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FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — Quick-hit thoughts and notes around the New England Patriots and NFL:
1. Gonzalez contract: In one respect, what is unfolding between the Patriots and cornerback Christian Gonzalez is the type of “issue” most teams would welcome.
"The Patriots deserve a ton of credit," said Mike Tannenbaum, the two-time former NFL general manager who now serves as an ESPN front office expert. "Christian Gonzalez is obviously a great man-to-man corner who has rare length and athleticism. He's one of those players you want to build the team around."
New England selected Gonzalez in the first round of the 2023 draft (No. 17 overall), a parting gift of sorts from coach Bill Belichick in the final season of his 24-year tenure. Gonzalez has developed into one of the NFL's best at his position, as evidenced most recently by his exemplary play in Super Bowl LX.
And now comes the challenging part.
The Patriots hold their first training camp practice July 25, and it's hard to imagine Gonzalez participating full throttle under his current contract, which calls for him to earn $2.259 million this season. Top cornerbacks make more than $30 million per year, and Gonzalez is eligible for an extension for the first time.
Former Patriots cornerback Ty Law, the Pro Football Hall of Famer who sparred with the franchise at the negotiating table during his playing career, shared a personal story relating to what could unfold July 25 if things remain status quo.
"One play in the NFL, it changes the whole dynamic. I've been in that situation and practicing, and Lawyer [Milloy], the way he played with reckless abandon, we're going across the middle and collided and I really thought I tore my knee up," he said.
"I got up and was like, 'Oh, s— That was scary.' It put it in perspective for me. My knee ended up being OK, but that was always in the back of my mind — the whole negotiation could have gone down the drain right there."
Law ultimately signed a six-year, $50 million deal with $14.2 million guaranteed in August 1999 — his first big payday after the Patriots selected him in the first round of the 1995 draft.
During Law's career (1995-2009), holdouts were more common with players not reporting for training camp. But changes to the collective bargaining agreement with more significant fines and the loss of an accrued season toward free agency have made those rare, as players are now more likely to "hold in" by reporting yet not practicing.
Gonzalez, who turned 24 on Sunday, might have been sending a message to the team this spring in that regard — he didn't attend the majority of the voluntary program and then practiced only in the lower-speed/lower-tempo parts of mandatory minicamp. He noted there is a lot of time before the start of training camp and hopes to be "rewarded as a Patriot."
Meanwhile, coach Mike Vrabel and executive vice president of player personnel Eliot Wolf have consistently said they hope to retain Gonzalez.
A notable dynamic is that Gonzalez and Seahawks cornerback Devon Witherspoon (also a 2023 first-round pick eligible for an extension for the first time) are represented by the same agent.
The question seems to be whether Gonzalez gets a big-money extension — similar to cornerbacks Derek Stingley Jr. and Sauce Gardner last offseason as they both entered the fourth year of their contracts — or more of a temporary solution such as an increase to his 2026 salary that buys the sides more time to negotiate.
The Patriots' position is strengthened by Gonzalez being under contract for the next two seasons ($2.259 million this year and $18.11 million in 2027) and having the option to use the franchise tag for 2028. They could also point to other top cornerbacks in recent years who didn't receive a contract extension until their fifth season, such as Trent McDuffie (Chiefs/Rams), Jaycee Horn (Panthers) and A.J. Terrell Jr. (Falcons).
Tannenbaum explained the team-based mindset in these types of situations.
"The whole idea is you want to be proactive to the extent it makes sense," he said. "When you have extension-eligible players, ideally if you give them enough guaranteed money to go early, they get the security they want, and the team gets the cost certainty to lock in a foundational player."
Law shared the players' mindset.
"Even though we know it's a business, there's a part of this where you don't want to feel disrespected ether. It can be hard not to take it personally, so you have to try to take that out of it," he said. "[I say] give him what he wants and then some — he's one of those generational talents and when you have him in the building you aren't supposed to let him go."
At the same time, Law knows that's generally not the way it works — especially with Gonzalez under contract the next two seasons.
"That's where negotiation comes in, because the team does have some leverage," he said.
One risk for the defending AFC champion Patriots is that the situation lingers into training camp and becomes a potential distraction.
"Given the momentum they created for themselves last year, and the quality of the player, hopefully there's common ground," Tannenbaum said.
"It's one of those deals when you go early like this, neither side is going to feel like it's an ideal deal. Typically those are the best ones — when both sides feel they like the deal but don't love it. But it's hard to imagine he won't be there for years to come."
2. Scotland calling? The Tartan Army brought spirit to the World Cup in Foxbororough that caught the attention of Patriots owner Robert Kraft, who then relayed to NFL commissioner Roger Goodell that he would like his team to one day play a game in Scotland, as first reported by the Boston Globe. The economic stimulus from record beer sales at some local bars probably made an impression on Kraft, too.
How realistic is it?
Sources with the NFL said this isn't an "active" situation, so it would currently fall in the "conversation" phase. The league views the possibility as appealing in the future, especially with Goodell's stated desire to expand the international schedule beyond the record nine games this season.
The NFL continues to look for new markets and key parts of what it vets are a fanbase to support it, a stadium that would be up to or close to NFL standards, and interest from NFL teams to play there.
In the case of Scotland, the Patriots have decisively planted their flag in the ground as an intriguing conversation starter.
3. A.J. analytics: ESPN Analytics can help project what receiver A.J. Brown might bring to the Patriots in 2026, as it uses player-tracking data from NFL Next Gen Stats to evaluate every route a pass catcher runs and scores his performance in three phases — getting open, catching the ball and running after catch.
Of the 110 wide receivers evaluated last season, Brown was ranked in the top 16 in all three categories, joining the Rams' Puka Nacua as the only other wideout to be ranked that highly across the board.
And that was in what some called a "down" year for Brown.
4. Did You Know: The Patriots enter the 2026 season with 599 total wins, first among all original AFL teams and 13th overall in NFL history. They need one more win to become the 12th team to reach 600 overall victories.
