The New England Patriots start mandatory minicamp on Tuesday, and Christian Gonzalez's attendance will be something to keep an eye on.
Gonzalez is reportedly looking for a contract extension. and did not report to the team's voluntary OTAs. He is one of the best corners in the league, and the team has already expressed interest in an extension. However, no deal has been reached yet. Regardless, Patriots insider Mike Reiss thinks it would be surprising if Gonzalez did not report.
"The presence of cornerback Christian Gonzalez (contract) and wide receiver Kayshon Boutte (trade rumors) are among the Patriots' notable camp storylines," wrote Reiss. "It would be a surprise if Gonzalez didn't report for camp, while Boutte told WBZ-TV reporter Aaron Parseghian that he will be there for Day 1 on Tuesday."
Just because Gonzalez reports does not mean he will participate. If he is holding out for an extension, he may not feel comfortable risking injury. The longer extension talks drag out, the longer it may take Gonzalez to get on the field.
Mike Vrabel was asked about a potential holdout last week and noted that he does not want to get into details. However, he did share that he expects Gonzalez to be at the mandatory minicamp and be ready for the season.
“Well, I think that there’s, the contract is the business and the professional side of this,” said Vrabel in a Tuesday press conference. “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.”
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