Patriots reportedly receiving calls from teams about trading for Christian Gonzalez, but ‘he’s not for sale’
“[The Patriots] find it amusing.”
Several Patriots players could be dealt ahead of the NFL trade deadline on Tuesday, including wide receivers K.J. Osborn and Tyquan Thornton.
However, one player New England has been receiving calls about has no chance of being moved, according to one NFL insider.
Cornerback Christian Gonzalez is someone teams are bringing up whilst on the phone with executive vice president of player personnel Eliot Wolf, Josina Anderson reported Friday. She said the Patriots aren’t going to trade the second-year player and that they find the reported trade attempts comical.
“I did just speak to a league source who said that the Patriots have been receiving multiple calls on cornerback Christian Gonzalez. He’s not for sale, but they find it amusing,” Anderson said in a video uploaded to X.
Gonzalez, New England’s first-round pick in 2023, is a budding star. He routinely lines up against the Patriots’ opponents’ top WRs each week, as he did in four games last season under former head coach Bill Belichick.
Not only does Gonzalez get the assignment, but he regularly performs above expectations.
Take New England’s Week 8 victory against the New York Jets for example. Gonzalez defended Davante Adams and Garrett Wilson and locked both of them down, allowing four total targets, one catch allowed, and one forced interception, according to Pro Football Focus.
Watch him mic’d up versus the Jets last week and relive his clamping against the Patriots’ divisional foe:
Gonzalez doesn’t engage in trash talk, or even say much, while he’s on the field. But on the sideline, he can be heard loudly cheering on his offensive and special teams teammates.
Head coach Jerod Mayo referenced that video when asked about the young player during a press conference on Wednesday. Mayo called Gonzalez “a great competitor” despite keeping quiet during matchups.
“For me, what Gonzo’s doing is what we fully expected him to do,” Mayo said when a reporter asked him what he’s learned about Gonzalez this season. “Funny thing, look, he’s a quiet guy, but he’s a competitor. You listen to the mic’d up? That’s the most you’re going to get from that guy. He’s a guy that goes out there and plays hard every day, and he’s a great competitor.”
Mayo continued, naming ex-New England corners Darrelle Revis and Stephon Gilmore who were also known to be reserved, but were (and still are, in Gilmore’s case) top-tier at the position.
“(Gonzalez is) not a very talkative guy, but he is a very good player, and I would say I’ve been around corners like that before that aren’t that talkative. [Stephon] Gilmore being one of those guys, [Darrelle] Revis being another one of those guys. They don’t talk a lot, but they go out there and get the job done.”
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