Devon Witherspoon signed a four-year, $132 million contract extension with $101 million guaranteed. This is big for Patriots fans, as there was speculation that Witherspoon and Christian Gonzalez were waiting on each other to sign. Whoever signed first was going to ink a record-breaking deal for a cornerback, and whoever signed second would likely top that.
Look for Gonzo to sign a four-year deal soon worth $134-$140 million, with $102-$105 million guaranteed.
This offseason is evidence of why you want to sign star players as early as possible. With a first-round star player like Gonzo, we have him signed for one more year of his rookie deal plus a fifth-year option. A four-year extension puts him under contract for six years, and the team can spread out his signing bonus over the next five seasons.
This offseason, three cornerback contracts have already been record-setting. Trent McDuffie, Denzel Ward, and Witherspoon have all broken the mark for highest APY, while McDuffie and Witherspoon have each set the record for most guaranteed money.
The Pats and Gonzalez are going to set the market again. The good news is that in future years, CBs will get more expensive and we’ll be happy we did not wait to re-sign Gonzo.
It usually is a good idea to give star players star contracts. Gonzalez absolutely deserves this deal, since he is one of the best defensive players in the league. Teams run into issues when they give solid players star contracts. The NFL is about economics. It’s not just who you sign, but how much you sign them for. I hope that is something the Pats keep in mind.
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