Patriots’ Mike Vrabel delivers ‘hopeful’ Christian Gonzalez injury update

The New England Patriots pulled off an exciting preseason victory on Saturday. New England defeated Philadelphia 24-21 thanks to a game-winning touchdown from their emergency punter. Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel addressed the biggest storyline surrounding his team on Monday following the big win.

Vrabel said on Monday that the team is hopeful that Christian Gonzalez will be “able to do some stuff” during practice this week, per Patriots reporter Evan Lazar.

Gonzalez was spotted with a limp on Thursday after missing joint practices with the Eagles last week. New England’s star cornerback is apparently dealing with an ankle injury that has kept him from practicing.

All of this is happening in the shadow of the star cornerback’s contract negotiations with the Patriots.

Gonzalez wants to be paid like one of the best cornerbacks in the NFL ahead of the 2026 season. That could be difficult, especially with Devon Witherspoon resetting the market with his four-year, $132 million extension.

Still, that has not stopped Gonzalez from demanding the contract that he feels he’s earned over the past few seasons.

ESPN’s Adam Schefter does not believe a new contract is close as the regular season inches closer and closer.

“I’m not so sure that the Christian Gonzalez deal is gonna get done so quickly,” Schefter said on August 19th. “Obviously there’s a lot or parameters in place. And there’s the road map that Devon Witherspoon presented.”

Schefter added that, until recently, both sides weren’t very close in their negotiations and had few productive conversations.

It will be fascinating to see if Gonzalez can get back on the practice field this week. The Patriots will be counting on Gonzalez to play a big role in their secondary once again this year. Perhaps their reliance on Gonzalez could get some kind of contract done before the regular season.

Either way, next up for the Patriots is their preseason finale against the Browns on August 27th.