Patriots' Christian Gonzalez gets lucrative contract extension update

The New England Patriots and star cornerback Christian Gonzalez still haven't reached an agreement on a new deal.

The young star is eligible to sign an extension ahead of his fourth year in the league, and there's no reason to believe that won't be the case.

However, his agent also represents Seattle Seahawks star Devon Witherspoon, who's also eligible for an extension, and that has both of their contract situations in a bit of a standstill.

According to Sports Illustrated's Albert Breer, that's not necessarily a bad thing. If anything, whoever gets paid first will only drive the other's value up, and Gonzalez is most likely to benefit from that. 

Christian Gonzalez will get a huge payday

“It’s fair to expect that Gonzalez and Witherspoon have no reason to accept $31.1 million per year in light of all that,” Breer wrote. “The question then becomes how big a jump is coming? And the dynamics at play point to Witherspoon going first, after the two faced off in the Super Bowl… And if Witherspoon gets a deal done, then the floor is set for Gonzalez coming off a fantastic year in Mike Vrabel’s first season back in New England.”

The cornerback market is due for a big boost, and Gonzalez will most likely set a new mark as the highest-paid player at the position in the history of the league.

Of course, the Patriots can always wait this out. Gonzalez is under contract for another two years (if they pick up his fifth-year option), so it's not like they're obligated to give him an extension.

Nevertheless, that also puts them in a tough spot, as the price will eventually go up anyway, and they might just end up giving him much more than what they could've given him now, not to mention it might hurt their relationship.