NFL
Christian Gonzalez Surpasses Tom Brady to Become Highest-Paid Patriots Player Ever With $135M Deal
Christian Gonzalez has officially become the highest-paid player in New England Patriots history.
The cornerback, 24, signed a four-year, $135 million contract extension with $102 million guaranteed, NFL Insider Jordan Schultz reported in an X post on Tuesday, September 8.
The deal also makes Gonzalez the highest-paid cornerback in NFL history, Schultz noted.
He beats the record previously held by the Seattle Seahawks’ Devon Witherspoon, per USA Today. Until now, the Patriots’ highest-paid player was defensive tackle Milton Williams, who had himself passed the team’s legendary quarterback, Tom Brady, in earnings, per Sports Illustrated.
“THANK YOU LORD! PATS NATION LETS GO,” Gonzalez wrote alongside the repost of Schultz’s news on his Instagram Story on September 8.
The All-Pro and Pro Bowl player was eligible for extension for the first time this offseason, and had said in June that he hoped to be “rewarded as a Patriot,” per ESPN.
In 2025, he led all qualified cornerbacks in catch rate allowed, with 43.4 percent, and ranked fourth-best in passer rating allowed into his coverage, per the Patriots.
The Texas native, who played for the University of Colorado and the University of Oregon before becoming a first-round draft pick in 2023, has played in 34 regular-season games, starting all of them, and four post-season games, including last year’s Super Bowl against Seattle.
He joins his team to face off against the Seahawks again in the regular-season opener on September 9 in Seattle.
