Christian Gonzalez’s trainer sheds light on contract talks with Patriots in radio interview

It’s been largely radio silence over the last few weeks regarding talk of progress between Christian Gonzalez and the Patriots on a hefty new contract.

But, that didn’t stop Christian “Flight” White — Gonzalez’s trainer since 2023 — from taking to the airwaves on Monday to speak with “Felger & Mazz” on 98.5 The Sports Hub.

As part of the interview, White revealed plenty of details regarding Gonzalez’s ongoing negotiations with New England, offering optimism about a deal reaching the finish line and shedding some light on why the talks have stalled out over the last few months.

​”I think we’re getting close,” White said. “Just from his mood, his vibe. I can’t sit here and tell you guys that I’ve talked to him about it. I can just tell, he’s in good spirits so he’s obviously hearing some good things. I wouldn’t be shocked if this gets done before the Seattle game.”

Gonzalez is still seeking a contract that would make him one of the highest-paid defensive players in NFL history — just a few weeks after Seattle CB Devon Witherspoon inked a four-year, $132 million extension with the Seahawks that seemingly reset the market.

Witherspoon’s deal — negotiated by Gonzalez’s agent, Reggie Johnson — seemed as if it would clear a path toward Gonzalez signing his own contract in New England in short order.

White said on Monday that the Patriots are getting closer to giving Gonzalez a deal that slightly exceeds Witherspoon’s deal —and would make him the highest-paid corner in NFL history.

White’s comments contradict reporting from ESPN NFL insider Adam Schefter, who noted last week that the Patriots have been unwilling at this point to hand Gonzalez a deal similar to Witherspoon’s expected payout.

“I don’t know if it’s gonna be the same guaranteed [money] wise, but I just know the offers have been getting better,” White said. “I know they’re putting a better effort into it. It sounds like there’s a little bit more movement. … They have put a deal in place that I think would be slightly better [than Witherspoon’s contract], but it’s just more so, have to get the terms down and things like that.”​

Gonzalez’s negotiations with the Patriots have been one of the top storylines during training camp, kicking off in late July after team owner Robert Kraft said that New England has already made the star corner an offer that would make him “the highest-paid player to ever play that position in the NFL.”

White pushed back against Kraft’s comments, noting that the contract language hasn’t always matched up with the expectations for Gonzalez to ink a record-setting contract if he crosses the t’s and dots the i’s on a new deal.

“It was true at the time, but it’s just not all the way true,” White said. “Like, the context is like, yeah, we did offer you to be the highest paid, but contract language was kind of trash. So, we kind of had to sort through that stuff to make it make sense.”

Despite Gonzalez admitting his frustrations last week about the protracted negotiations, White stressed that the 24-year-old’s focus remains on staying in New England for the foreseeable future.

​”He’s expressed to everybody [that] he wants to be there,” White added of Gonzalez’s mindset. “He just bought a new home up there. Nobody buys a new home, a place, and then wants to leave that place. … He’s fell in love with the place. He wants to be there for however many more years they agree on the extension, and probably even further after that. I’m just hoping they do right by him.”

 

Conor Ryan is a staff writer covering the Bruins, Celtics, Patriots, and Red Sox for Boston.com, a role he has held since 2023.