Stephon Gilmore says he ‘probably wouldn’t’ play if he were in Christian Gonzalez’s shoes

Former New England Patriots star corner Stephon Gilmore received a solid pay day in New England when he first arrived in Foxborough, initially inking a five-year, $65 million contract with $40 million guaranteed in March 2017.

​The Patriots got plenty out of Gilmore’s four seasons in New England, be it the defensive back winning NFL Defensive Player of the Year in 2019 or playing a key role in the team’s Super Bowl title during the 2018 season.

But, the market has shifted significantly for both players and NFL clubs in recent years. While a top corner like Gilmore secured $40 million in guaranteed on the open market nine years ago, Seattle CB Devon Witherspoon inked a deal last month that included $100 million guaranteed over the course of four years.

There’s a case to be made that Patriots cornerback Chrisitan Gonzalez will ultimately exceed Witherspoon’s contract as far as guaranteed cash or total payout when he signs his own contract extension.

So far, the Patriots and Gonzalez have yet to come to terms on a deal — with negotiations now reaching a critical inflection point with the start of the regular season less than a week away.

And, given both Gonzalez’s standing as one of the top cover corners in the game and his integral role in New England’s offense, Gilmore was candid on Thursday when asked if he’d play in Week 1 if he was in a similar situation.

“Honestly, I’m probably not,” Gilmore said during an interview on 98.5 The Sports Hub’s “Zolak & Bertrand” on Thursday. “The thing I would struggle with, too, I think Christian is — whoever’s the highest-paid [corner], I think he’s better than those guys. I think he shows way more man coverage than those guys. … [Trent] McDuffie, he was the highest paid. I think Witherspoon’s pretty good. I think [Patrick] Surtain is the top. … But the style [Gonzalez] plays, I think he can play a lot of man coverage. He can lock on to guys.

“I think he deserves to get what he’s earned, because those guys got it with no problem. I think he deserves it. … Sometimes, it’s just the situation you’re in, because if he was somewhere else and they wanted to get it over with, they would just do it. So, sometimes, things take time.”

Despite securing a solid initial contract with New England, Gilmore is well aware of the business of football, especially with how his tenure with the Patriots ended.

Ahead of his final year in New England in 2021, Gilmore — recovering from a torn quad — held himself out of mandatory minicamp while seeking a new extension. After opening the year on the PUP list that season, Gilmore was eventually dealt to the Carolina Panthers after New England didn’t hand him a new contract.

It remains to be seen whether New England will reach a similar outcome with Gonzalez, who has been candid in his last few media appearances about his frustrations over the stalled negotiations.

While Gonzalez is still seeking a new deal, he is under contract for both the 2026 and 2027 seasons.

But, speaking to MassLive’s Karen Guregian on Thursday, Gonzalez kept his answers vague when asked if there’s a chance he won’t play in Week 1 against Seattle amid his extended dispute. ​

“I mean, when that time comes, that’s when things will happen,” Gonzalez told Guregian, adding: “We’ll save that [answer] for when it’s game time.”

Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel was asked a similar question on Thursday about Gonzalez’s expected availability for next week’s rematch of Super Bowl LX.

“As I said a couple of days ago, as the head coach, I expect every player that is healthy and under contract to practice and to play,” Vrabel said. “Again, that may change based on my conversations with different players and the plan that they have each and every day when you talk about practice or what the plan may be for the football game. So that goes with this situation and anybody else who would fall underneath that, that is what our expectation is.”

While Gonzalez and his representatives continue to play the waiting game, Gilmore stressed that New England’s star corner deserves to be the highest-paid player at his position in the NFL.

​”I think it’s easy to find zone guys. Anybody can out there and play zone,” Gilmore explained. “Unless you’re a guy that can really lock on to the number one receivers, shut them down — I remember sometimes in the games when I was in New England, we put another corner on the guy and we double teamed them, and we put me on the best guy and made them throw it to me, and I took on that challenge week in and week out.

“I think the guys that deserve to be the highest paid, they should be able to take on those challenges also and be successful at it. I think Christian has all the ability to do it. He’s been consistent; he had a great Super Bowl performance. … He’s got all the intangibles to do it. All the corners in the league now, it’s just the consistency of doing it, year in and year out.”

 

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