FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- Pro Bowl cornerback Christian Gonzalez and the New England Patriots have been engaged in negotiations on a long-term contract in recent months, and owner Robert Kraft shared general details of the team's offer.
"We love Christian Gonzalez. We love him as a player, as a person, and that's why we've made an offer to him to make him the highest-paid player to ever play that position in the NFL," Kraft said Saturday morning before the team's first practice of training camp. "And coincidentally, it is the highest contract in Patriots franchise history. So we're glad we drafted him, he's developed here, and we hope he'll be with us for a long time."
At one point during early drills of practice Saturday, Kraft approached Gonzalez and the two shook hands.
Contracts for top cornerbacks now average more than $30 million per season, with the Los Angeles Rams having made Trent McDuffie the NFL's highest-paid cornerback in March when he signed a four-year, $124 million deal.
Gonzalez is entering his fourth season in the NFL after the Patriots selected him No. 17 overall in the 2023 draft. This is the first year he is eligible for an extension. He has two years remaining on his contract and is scheduled to earn a base salary of $2.259 million this year.
He shares the same agent as Seattle Seahawks cornerback Devon Witherspoon, who is also eligible for an extension for the first time and is expected to command a top deal.
Coach Mike Vrabel acknowledged the business side of Gonzalez's status with the team as training camp began.
"Contract negotiations are ongoing between the club and his agents," Vrabel said. "I'm excited about having Christian back here with us and the impact that he can make on our football team, and I really enjoy the person, enjoy the player."
Vrabel said he didn't see a connection between the Seahawks and Witherspoon and the Patriots and Gonzalez.
"I don't think they have anything to do with one another. We're not negotiating with the Seahawks. We're negotiating with Christian's representatives," he said. "I don't think that there's anything different than just our communication with him."
Gonzalez was a full participant in practice, which made an impression on teammates, including quarterback Drake Maye.
"I think it shows his main focus, and that's football," said Maye, who tested Gonzalez on the first play of full-team drills by throwing in his direction on an incompletion to receiver A.J. Brown. "He's the best corner in the league, in my opinion. He's not the big rah-rah guy, he does it his own way, but he does it at the highest level. I'm glad to be his teammate."
Because Gonzalez has not signed an extension, it created uncertainty if he would participate in all parts of the first training camp practice. He had only participated in lower-tempo parts of practice in spring's mandatory minicamp.
Said Maye: "You saw it in the locker room before [practice] - everyone was wondering 'What's Gonzo going to do?' [Then] he's coming out here and first play he's guarding A.J. in man coverage. That's the Patriots."