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Mike Vrabel Reveals When He Expects Christian Gonzalez Back As Holdout Concern Grows originally appeared on NESN. Add NESN as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The New England Patriots are starting to get ready for the season, but one of their best players has not joined the team yet.
Christian Gonzalez has been absent from voluntary OTAs. When the season ended, both Gonzalez and the Patriots noted that there was a desire to get an extension done, but they did not go into details on negotiations. Gonzalez was at Drake Maye's softball game, and there is now some concern about a holdout.
The Patriots' mandatory minicamp will start earlier than expected after Mike Vrabel moved it up, and if Gonzalez is not present, it will suddenly be a problem. His absence right now is not too big of a deal since OTAs are voluntary. Vrabel was asked about a potential holdout as the Patriots continue to prepare for the season.
“Well, I think that there’s, the contract is the business and the professional side of this,” said Vrabel in a Tuesday press conference. “The personal side, I don’t want to let anything interfere with that. I want Christian to be ready when he comes back. And I would imagine that he would be here next week. And, if he is, then we’ll coach him and be ready to move on and get him ready and get him ready to help us, and help himself. Contracts are part of professional sports. I understand that. But I also know that those should remain private. And, like any contract, you want to make sure (it’s) a negotiation that everybody feels like they get something out of it. And I’ll leave it at that.”
Like many, Vrabel is expecting Gonzalez to show up for mandatory team activities. However, from a business standpoint, it would make sense for him to hold out until he gets the extension he wants.
Vrabel acknowledged that the contract situation is a private matter and that Gonzalez is trying to do what's best for him. He did not go into details about where the team and Gonzalez are at, but by all accounts, there is mutual interest in getting a deal done. The only question is, will they get one done in time for Gonzalez to be at the mandatory minicamp?
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