Patriots icon warns team about handling of Christian Gonzalez contract saga

The trainer for New England Patriots cornerback Christian Gonzalez recently claimed that the two sides are "getting close" to signing a contract extension. 

During a conversation with Karen Guregian of MassLive, Patriots icon, two-time Super Bowl champion and current NFL analyst Rodney Harrison urged the club to "take care of our own guys" regarding the Gonzalez situation. 

Rodney Harrison: Not paying Christian Gonzalez "sends a terrible message"

"If you don't send a message now, or if you let Christian out of here, or make him play on the current deal, that sends a terrible message," Harrison explained. 

Patriots owner Robert Kraft and team executive vice president of player personnel Eliot Wolf have both said that the club is willing to make Gonzalez the new highest-paid cornerback in the league after Devon Witherspoon of the Seattle Seahawks signed a four-year, $132M deal. However, trainer Christian "Flight" White said during a Monday appearance on Boston sports radio station 98.5 The Sports Hub that "the contract language was kind of trash" as it pertains to what was previously offered to Gonzalez.

It was recently reported that "the sticking points have more to do with structure and total dollars." On Wednesday, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN revealed that the Patriots and Gonzalez "are not close on several elements of the deal."  

Why not paying Christian Gonzalez could cost the Patriots

The Patriots are coming off a Super Bowl appearance, and the perception exists that players around the league are keen on playing for New England head coach Mike Vrabel. 

Harrison fears that not paying Gonzalez this summer could harm the Patriots' reputation around the league. 

"The last thing you want is a negative mark like that, to a have a young player like Christian Gonzalez, and not pay him," Harrison added. "If I'm a free agent with the Buffalo Bills or the Dallas Cowboys, 'I'm not going to the Patriots. (Expletive), they won't pay Christian Gonzalez. He showed the world how good he was.'"

The Patriots open the regular season with a Super Bowl rematch at the Seahawks on Sept. 9. Harrison is among those who think New England needs to make Gonzalez happy before that game gets underway.