Ty Law's strong suggestion to Patriots on Christian Gonzalez contract
· Yahoo Sports
Pro Football Hall of Famer Ty Law knows a thing or two about big contract negotiations. When speaking about the ongoing talks between the New England Patriots and Christian Gonzalez, Law shared some insight into those negotiations from the player's perspective.
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Reaching a certain level and not being paid at that level is a serious financial risk for players. In ESPN's Mike Reiss' Sunday notes column, the former longtime Patriots cornerback noted a moment on the practice field where he thought he injured his knee during a negotiation period.
Fortunately, it was nothing serious, and he ended up signing a major contract extension to stay in New England. But that moment was scary enough to remain in the back of his head.
"I got up and was like, 'Oh, s--- That was scary.' It put it in perspective for me," Law said, via Reiss. "My knee ended up being OK, but that was always in the back of my mind -- the whole negotiation could have gone down the drain right there."
As for Gonzalez, Law believes the Patriots should do everything in their power to keep him from leaving the table without a new deal.
"Even though we know it's a business, there's a part of this where you don't want to feel disrespected ether. It can be hard not to take it personally, so you have to try to take that out of it," Law said. "[I say] give him what he wants and then some -- he's one of those generational talents and when you have him in the building you aren't supposed to let him go."
One thing that might be viewed as disrespectful would be if the Patriots expected Gonzalez to play for $4.8 million in 2026.
There's hope that the two sides could come together and agree on a nice pay raise as good faith until a more long-term agreement is in place. The Patriots have Gonzalez's fifth-year option, which extends their time through the 2027 season to figure things out.
A fair negotiation doesn't end with either side getting their way completely. There has to be some compromise on both ends for things to work out as expected.
"That's where negotiation comes in, because the team does have some leverage," Law said.
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This article originally appeared on Patriots Wire: Ty Law's strong suggestion to Patriots on Christian Gonzalez contract