Patriots' Gonzalez savoring 1st Super Bowl appearance after past adversity

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) — If it seems like Christian Gonzalez is lingering on the field during pregame warmups on Super Bowl Sunday, that’s because he probably will be.

After a series of setbacks over his first three NFL seasons, the 23-year-old is well aware of how fast things can change in this league. So, getting to play on its biggest stage for the first time isn’t something he is taking lightly.

“Treat it like another game, but you know it’s not another game,” the Patriots cornerback said. “It’s the last one, so you just go out there and you just give it all you’ve got. Even while you’re playing, you still get to enjoy it. You get to run out there and see the field that says, ‘Super Bowl.’ Little things like that.”

Enjoyment has come in starts and stops for Gonzalez following a rookie season in 2023 in which he played in just four games before going on injured reserve with a torn labrum in his shoulder and then having season-ending surgery.

He returned in full force in 2024, appearing in 16 games while establishing himself as the team’s top cover cornerback, allowing receivers only 6 yards per target, and yielding completions 55.7% of the time the ball was thrown in his direction.

It seemed as if there was nowhere to go but up.

But all his progress looked to be in jeopardy after a hamstring injury in the first week of training camp eventually sidelined him for the first three games.

It’s proven just to be a hiccup for Gonzalez, who returned to play in the final 14 regular-season games. He was again trusted to cover opponents’ best receivers this season, finishing tied for second on the team with 10 pass breakups while being selected for his first Pro Bowl.

He’s done his best work in the fourth quarter during the playoffs, allowing just two receptions, 12 receiving yards and no touchdowns with an interception the eight times he’s been targeted. It sets up what could be a pivotal matchup in the Super Bowl with Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Jaxon Smith Njigba.

Gonzalez's lone interception came late in the AFC title game to help secure the Patriots' victory.

“It felt like it was a good time to get the first pick. ... getting the ball back to ( Drake Maye ) and letting him ice the game,” Gonzalez said.

Gonzalez’s performance in those big moments has been part of a year-long evolution Patriots coach Mike Vrabel said he’s observed Gonzalez undergo over the last month and a half.

“There’s just a presence, I feel like. Not that there was anything wrong,” Vrabel said. “I just felt when he blitzed, when he covered, when he — maybe it was just me — but I’ve got a pretty good seat for some of these games. And so, I just felt him start to continue to impact at a greater level. ... So, there’s no secret that we’ll need him to play well, as well as the rest of our other good players.”

Gonzalez said he can’t pinpoint any specific change in his approach but does remember the conversation he had with his coach.

“After the Baltimore game, he told me he felt like he saw something different,” Gonzalez recalled. “But I’ve kind of just been preparing and doing what I’ve been doing. Just want to continue to make the plays that I need to make when my number’s called and do what I’ve got to do for this team to win.”

Gonzalez’s motivation also stems from having to trudge through the team’s back-to-back 4-13 seasons. But playing under his third coach in three seasons and everything is finally coming together.

“First two years we had to go through some things. But we’re excited where we’re at now,” he said. “This team is super close and we put a lot of work in. We just want to go out there and finish it.”

That said, he promises not to lose the childhood joy he had watching the Super Bowl as a kid.

It’s why his eyes will remain wide open for the entire experience once the team plane lands in California.

“I’ve been dreaming about it since I was a little kid and it’s here. The moment’s here,” Gonzalez said. “So go out there and enjoy it even during the game.”

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New England Patriots cornerback Christian Gonzalez warms up during an NFL football practice, Friday, Jan. 30, 2026, in Foxborough, Mass. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)

New England Patriots cornerback Christian Gonzalez warms up during an NFL football practice, Friday, Jan. 30, 2026, in Foxborough, Mass. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)

New England Patriots cornerback Christian Gonzalez celebrate after an interception against the Denver Broncos during the second the half of the AFC Championship NFL football game, Sunday, Jan. 25, 2026, in Denver. (AP Photo/Garrett W. Ellwood)

New England Patriots cornerback Christian Gonzalez (0) stretches during an NFL football availability, Thursday, Jan. 29, 2026, in Foxborough, Mass. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

Protesters across the U.S. are calling for “no work, no school, no shopping” as part of a nationwide strike on Friday to oppose the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown.

The demonstrations are taking place amid widespread outrage over the killing Alex Pretti, an intensive care nurse who was shot multiple times after he used his cellphone to record Border Patrol officers conducting an immigration enforcement operation in Minneapolis. The death heightened scrutiny over the administration’s tactics after the Jan. 7 death of Renee Good, who was fatally shot behind the wheel of her vehicle by a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer.

“The people of the Twin Cities have shown the way for the whole country — to stop ICE’s reign of terror, we need to SHUT IT DOWN,” said one of the many websites and social media pages promoting actions in communities around the United States.

Some schools in Arizona, Colorado and other states preemptively canceled classes in anticipation of mass absences. Many other demonstrations were planned for students and others to gather at city centers, statehouses and churches across the country.

Just outside Minneapolis, hundreds gathered in the frigid cold early Friday at the Bishop Henry Whipple Federal Building, the site of regular protests in recent weeks.

After speeches from clergy members, demonstrators marched toward the facility’s restricted area, jeering at a line of DHS agents to “quit your jobs” and “get out of Minnesota.” Much of the group later dispersed after they were threatened with arrest by local law enforcement for blocking the road.

Michelle Pasko, a retired communications worker, said she joined the demonstration after witnessing federal agents stopping immigrants at a bus stop near her home in Minnetonka, Minnesota, a suburb of Minneapolis.

“They’re roaming our streets, they’re staying in hotels near our schools,” she said. “Everyone in this country has rights, and the federal government seems to have forgotten that. We’re here to remind them.”

In Michigan, dozens of students walked out of Friday morning classes at Groves High School in Birmingham, north of Detroit. The students braved the zero-degree temperatures and walked about a mile to the closest business district where a number of morning commuters honked horns in support.

“We’re here to protest ICE and what they’re doing all over the country, especially in Minnesota,” said Logan Albritton, a 17-year-old senior at Groves. “It’s not right to treat our neighbors and our fellow Americans this way.”

Abigail Daugherty, 16, organized the walkout at Collins Hill High School in Suwanee, Georgia, on Friday.

“For years, I have felt powerless, and seeing other schools in the county being able to do this, I wanted to do something," the sophomore said.

Numerous businesses announced they would be closed during Friday’s “blackout." Others said they would be staying open, but donating a portion of their proceeds to organizations that support immigrants and provide legal aid to those facing deportation.

Otway Restaurant and its sister Otway Bakery in New York posted on social media that its bakery would stay open and 50% of proceeds would go to the New York Immigration Coalition. The restaurant remained open as well.

“As a small business who already took a huge financial hit this week due to the winter storm closures, we will remain open on Friday,” they posted.

In Maine, where Republican Sen. Susan Collins announced that ICE is ending its surge, people gathered outside a Portland church on Friday morning, holding signs that said “No ICE for ME,” a play on the state’s postal code.

Grace Valenzuela, an administrator with Portland Public Schools, decried an “enforcement system that treats our presence as suspect.” She said ICE’s actions brought “daily trauma” to the school system.

“Schools are meant to be places of learning, safety and belonging. ICE undermines that mission every time it destabilizes a family,” Valenzuela said.

Portland Mayor Mark Dion, a Democrat, spoke about the importance of speaking out in the wake of ICE’s actions in the city.

“Dissent is Democratic. Dissent is American. It’s the cornerstone of our democracy,” Dion said.

Associated Press reporters Emilie Megnien in Atlanta, Mae Anderson in New York, Jake Offenhartz in Minneapolis, Patrick Whittle in Portland, Maine, and Corey Williams in Detroit contributed to this report.

People protest against U.S. Immigrations and Customs enforcement in Portland, Maine, Friday, Jan. 30, 2026. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)

Attendees hold signs at a news conference held by public officials and faith leaders calling for the abolishment of the U.S. Immigrant and Customs Enforcement, Friday, Jan. 30, 2026, in Portland, Maine. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)

A sign at a cannabis shop indicates it is closed for the general strike to support the state's immigrant community Friday, Jan. 30, 2026, in Portland, Maine. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)

People gather for a protest against ICE outside the Bishop Henry Whipple Federal Building, Friday, Jan. 30, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Adam Gray)

A protester rallies against the presence of U.S. Immigration Customs Enforcement in Maine, Friday, Jan. 23, 2026, in Portland, Maine. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)

People gather for a protest outside the Bishop Henry Whipple Federal Building, Friday, Jan. 30, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Adam Gray)

People gather for a protest outside the Bishop Henry Whipple Federal Building, Friday, Jan. 30, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Adam Gray)

People gather for a protest outside the Bishop Henry Whipple Federal Building, Friday, Jan. 30, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Adam Gray)