Bill Belichick names Patriots standout to his inaugural All-Belichick Team
Gonzalez was also named second-team All-Pro in 2024.
Bill Belichick gave Christian Gonzalez the honor of being a first-round draft pick. He gave his former cornerback another honor on Valentine’s Day.
The former Patriots head coach placed Gonzalez on his All-Belichick Team for the 2024 season.
“On Valentine’s Day there is usually a lot of love in the air. 30 years ago today, there was not a lot of love in Cleveland when Art Modell decided to move the team and leave me behind,” Belichick wrote in an Instagram post announcing his “All-Belichick” picks.
“I am not sure if anyone then would’ve cared about my All-Belichick Team. I’m not sure if anyone even cares now. But here is it.”
Belichick didn’t go into the specifics of how he determined the team. However, based on some of the other selections (MVP winner Josh Allen was QB1 and Lamar Jackson was QB2, for instance), it appears that the All-Belichick team is largely based on performance.
If so, Gonzalez had a strong case to be one of the four boundary cornerbacks selected All-Belichick for the 2024 season. The Patriots cornerback was one of the lone bright spots for a team that went 4-13, recording 59 total tackles, two interceptions, a fumble recovery, and 11 passes defended. In pass coverage, Gonzalez allowed 46 receptions on 84 targets for 499 yards and two touchdowns, with opposing quarterbacks holding just a 70.5 passer rating when they threw his direction, per Pro Football Focus.
The strong season from Gonzalez came after his rookie season ended prematurely. He suffered a season-ending shoulder injury in Week 4 of the 2023 season, which was one of the many things that contributed to the Patriots’ downfall in Belichick’s final season as head coach.
As a result of his strong play, Gonzalez finished fifth in the Comeback Player of the Year voting. He was also named second-team All-Pro.
Patrick Surtain II of the Broncos, Derek Stingley Jr. of the Texans, and Paulson Adebo were the three other boundary corners named All-Belichick. Belichick highlighted Surtain’s and Stingley’s names, presumably meaning they’re the starters of that group.
The Patriots selected Gonzalez with the 16th overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, nabbing him after many projected him to be a top-10 selection. He quickly proved worthy of the selection earning Defensive Rookie of the Month for his first month in the league.
Belichick had some high praise for Gonzalez at the time, comparing him to a former Patriots star corner.
“Well, one of the best things about Christian, especially at that position, is he’s very even-keeled,” Belichick said in an interview on WEEI’s “The Greg Hill Show” in 2023. “He’s not overly emotional one way or another. He’s got a good, calm demeanor. A lot like [Stephon] Gilmore did.”
Of course, Gonzalez also learned from Belichick, too. In fact, one of the things Belichick taught him might have helped him last offseason.
“One thing Belichick always talked about, he would always ask us, ‘Who’s the offensive coordinator?’ Gonzalez said on the “Richard Sherman Podcast.” “My rookie year, I’m like, ‘OK, he’s the offensive coordinator. So what?’ Now, in the offseason I was able to learn that this offensive coordinator came from this tree. They did this. They like to attack a corner like me this way. That type of thing I was able to pick up on this offseason.”
Well, that pointer helped make Gonzalez an All-Pro, and a member of the All-Belichick team.
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