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07/25 12:52 CDT Christian Gonzalez has been offered highest contract in team history, Patriots owner Kraft says Christian Gonzalez has been offered highest contract in team history, Patriots owner Kraft says By KYLE HIGHTOWER AP Sports Writer FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) --- The New England Patriots are showing cornerback Christian Gonzalez how much he's valued. Team owner Robert Kraft said Saturday the star cornerback has been offered the highest contract in Patriots history. "We love Christian Gonzalez. We love him as a player, as a person. That's why we've made an offer to him that makes him the highest-paid player ever to play that position in the NFL," Kraft said before the team's opening training camp practice. "Coincidentally, it's the highest contract in Patriots franchise history." Kraft didn't provide details on the offer. But Los Angeles Rams cornerback Trent McDuffie's four-year contract currently tops NFL cornerbacks with an average yearly value of approximately $31 million. The Patriots picked up Gonzalez's fifth-year option in April, meaning he will make just over $18 million in the final year of his rookie deal in 2027. But he entered the offseason seeking long-term security beyond that. He apparently will soon have it with this extension offer. For his part, Gonzalez has been confident that something would be worked out with the club, while remaining a presence around the team. After skipping voluntary offseason workouts last month, Gonzalez was present for New England's three-day mandatory minicamp. He was back on the field for Saturday's first training camp workout. Gonzalez is easily the team's most important player in the secondary, earning his first Pro Bowl selection last season after posting 69 tackles, 10 pass breakups and one tackle for a loss in 2025. Fellow cornerback Marcus Jones said Friday that although he hadn't discussed details of the situation with Gonzalez, he was confident Gonzalez wants to remain in New England. "Gonzo loves it here," Jones said. "I know that for a fact."

Mike Vrabel not worried about recent history of Super Bowl losers The Patriots had a dream turnaround last season, going from 4-13 in 2024 to 14-3 last season and earning a spot in the Super Bowl. They came up short in their championship bid, falling 29-13 to Seattle. But it's left high expectations in Mike Vrabel's second season in New England. Each of the past two Super Bowl losers --- Kansas City in the 2024 season and San Francisco in the 2023 season --- missed the playoffs the following year. Both finished with 6-11 records after their Super Bowl runs. But that's the furthest thing from Vrabel's mind. "The expectations always get higher," Vrabel said. "Our job is to recreate the things that we did really well last year --- the culture, the ability to win different ways and find ways to win and understand how to win and understand how to prepare. And we're going to have a more difficult journey. That's just how it goes each and every year. That's what we're expecting."

Drake Maye begins work with new center Jared Wilson For the third straight year, quarterback Drake Maye is working with a new starting center in camp. He had multiple centers as a rookie in 2024 after David Andrews suffered a season-ending shoulder injury. Maye had more continuity last season when Garrett Bradbury started all 17 regular-season games and the four playoff games. But with Bradbury signing with Chicago this offseason, Maye will be breaking in Jared Wilson, who started 13 games at left guard as a rookie for the Patriots in 2025. It's not a huge transition for Wilson, who played 12 games at center as a junior at Georgia. "Jared, he's natural there," Maye said. "You get to know his little things and how he likes things, when he's going left and I'm going right --- all the under center things and how he understands Mike's points. ... Me and you, it's our show. And I think he's done a great job." ___ AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl

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