Patriots' Christian Gonzalez Gets $35M Contract 'Benchmark' From ESPN originally appeared on NESN. Add NESN as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
After it was announced that Devon Witherspoon of the Seattle Seahawks agreed to a 4-year, $132 million contract, all of the attention instantly turned to New England Patriots cornerback Christian Gonzalez.
Gonzalez and Witherspoon have often been compared in recent years, as there's a strong argument that the two young men are the best at the position in the NFL.
However, Witherspoon signing that contract before Gonzalez is likely to raise the price for the Patriots. According to the latest report from Jeremy Fowler of ESPN, the Patriots are likely looking at $35 million per year on a new deal to get something done.
"You've got Witherspoon at $33 million a year, Gonzalez is going to need to top that. That's the play," Fowler said, H/T FanSided.
"So, you're looking at probably closer to $35 million per year on a new deal to get this done. That's sort of the benchmark for a lot of the star non-quarterbacks, regardless of position. They're getting that kind of money or above, and Gonzalez is one of the very best cover corners in the league. Witherspoon, there was optimism throughout."
It's always unfortunate when teams wait to get a contract done, but Gonzalez has been smart about this as well. He understands that guys are going to get paid before him and wants to be the highest of them all.
Perhaps he wanted to wait for this to really start negotiating, but all indications suggest that the Patriots and him aren't very close on an extension.
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