00:00You heard Burt pontificating on and on about the contract situation for Gonzalez.
00:08Is this something, is he going to set the market?
00:11Is that a fact, is that if the Patriots do sign him,
00:15he will be the highest paid cornerback in the history of the NFL?
00:20I think it really just depends on which one of those cornerbacks signs first,
00:24whether it is Witherspoon or Gonzalez.
00:26Witherspoon's actually the more highly decorated, I guess I would say, player so far.
00:31He's made more pro bowls, all pros, but he's a different kind of player.
00:35And a player like Christian Gonzalez typically is valued more highly across the NFL.
00:39So, yeah, if it goes the way that Burt thinks and Witherspoon signs first,
00:44then Gonzalez and Gonzalez will be the highest paid cornerback in the NFL.
00:47But the fact that Witherspoon hasn't signed yet,
00:50that's why my level of concern about this still isn't that high that Gonzalez remains unsigned.
00:55Is there urgency?
00:56I mean, camp starts, what, in a week and a half?
00:59It's a week from Friday?
01:00Can the Patriots, regardless of what the situation is with Witherspoon,
01:04allow this to bleed into camp and create a distraction?
01:09I think they can.
01:10I think part of it depends on how Christian Gonzalez and his agency handles things.
01:14But, I mean, even in that 2023 NFL draft class in the first round,
01:18only a handful of players have got their second contract signed already.
01:23Like, Devin Witherspoon we mentioned hasn't, Bajon Robinson hasn't, Jameer Gibbs.
01:28The majority of those first round picks have not got their contract extensions yet.
01:32So, for that reason, I don't know if there's a crazy sense of urgency,
01:36but if Christian Gonzalez intends to hold out until he gets a deal,
01:41then, yeah, there would be a sense of urgency.
01:43And we already saw him do a little bit of a hold-in during minicamp,
01:46so it's at least possible that that would be the intention.
01:49And that was going to be my name.
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