Patriots' Mike Vrabel addresses Christian Gonzalez's potential holdout

The New England Patriots are trying to lock in their young cornerback for the future.

Christian Gonzalez will likely reset the cornerback market with his impending contract extension, but the apparent lack of progress might be concerning.

The former first-round pick skipped OTAs, prompting speculation about whether he'll hold out through training camp unless he gets a new deal.

With that in mind, head coach Mike Vrabel voiced his support for his player, adding that this is just the business side of the game.

Mike Vrabel isn't worried about Christian Gonzalez's absence

“Well, I think that there’s, the contract is the business and the professional side of this,” Vrabel told the media.  “The personal side, I don’t want to let anything interfere with that. I want Christian to be ready when he comes back. And I would imagine that he would be here next week. And, if he is, then we’ll coach him and be ready to move on and get him ready and get him ready to help us, and help himself. Contracts are part of professional sports. I understand that. But I also know that those should remain private. And, like any contract, you want to make sure (it’s) a negotiation that everybody feels like they get something out of it. And I’ll leave it at that.”

As one of the most promising and productive young cornerbacks in the game, it only makes sense that Gonzalez wants compensation that reflects his contribution to the team.

However, getting him to sign might not depend solely on him or the Patriots' attempts.

Fellow 2023 draft classmate Devon Witherspoon is also eligible for an extension, and he's also expected to reset the cornerback market at some point in the near future.

To further complicate this matter, Gonzalez and Witherspoon are represented by the same agent, so all parties might be tangled up in a staring contest for a little longer.

Whether the Patriots or the Seattle Seahawks will blink first remains to be seen, but even if they don't get a deal done soon with either team, it's hard to believe this will be an issue entering training camp.

At this point, it should be a matter of "when" and not "if" they'll get the record-setting deal they're looking for.