Overview
- Head coach Mike Vrabel said the Patriots will exercise Christian Gonzalez’s option and confirmed ongoing talks on a long-term extension.
- The fifth-year option keeps Gonzalez under team control for 2027 at a preset $18.1 million salary.
- Owner Robert Kraft said he expects Gonzalez and quarterback Drake Maye to stay in New England for the long term.
- Personnel chief Eliot Wolf said the team wants a long-term deal with Gonzalez, who becomes extension-eligible entering Year 4.
- Any agreement is likely pricey after Trent McDuffie’s four-year, $124 million contract and Gonzalez’s All-Pro and Pro Bowl seasons raised his value.