Patriots' Christian Gonzalez heads into final preseason game without long-term contract extension

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) — Christian Gonzalez is back practicing with the New England Patriots.

But the star cornerback remains without the long-term contract extension he's been seeking all offseason with the regular season two weeks away.

Gonzalez returned to practice Monday after being sidelined since Aug. 10 with a minor injury, according to coach Mike Vrabel. He was back in uniform for the team’s workout on Tuesday, its last before heading to Cleveland to prepare for the Patriots’ final preseason game Thursday night.

Gonzalez wouldn't confirm whether his absence was because of the injury and not related to the ongoing negotiations between the front office and his agents.

“I'm not going to get into that,” Gonzalez said. “I'm out here now. So it is what it is.”

New England’s projected starters sat out the first two preseason games and it’s unclear how much — if at all — they will play this week.

Patriots vice president of player personnel Eliot Wolf said Tuesday that team owner Robert Kraft’s statement in July about offering Gonzalez a deal to make him the highest-paid cornerback in NFL history remains the team’s desire. Gonzalez is playing under the rookie deal he signed in 2023. He will make a base salary of $2.25 million this season and $18.1 million in 2027, the final year of the deal.

“We want him here,” Wolf said. “He’s an elite player. Been on record saying that before and we continue to work with his representation to find a resolution that works for everyone.”

Asked of trading Gonzalez was a consideration, vice president player personnel Ryan Cowden didn't directly rule it out.

“I think we're continuing to work on the negotiation side with Christian and that's where it stands,” he said.

Earlier this month, Seattle cornerback Devon Witherspoon received a four-year, $132 million contract extension with $101 million guaranteed, making him the highest-paid player at his position in the league.

Gonzalez acknowledged at least some frustration with seeing other situations getting worked out around the league.

“It's frustrating. But I'm focused on the season. I'm focused on here now and doing what I have to do,” he said. “I'm out here to compete and get better.”

Wolf wouldn’t elaborate on the potential barriers to completing a deal with Gonzalez, though he said both sides are clear on what the other wants.

The Patriots open at Seattle on Sept. 9 in a rematch of the Seahawks’ Super Bowl 60 win in February.

But Wolf doesn’t view that Week 1 matchup as a deadline for the negotiations with Gonzalez.

“We’re just kind of taking it a day at a time right now. We haven’t set a deadline,” Wolf said.

Asked if he plans to play in the season opener without a new contract, Gonzalez neither committed to it nor ruled it out.

“I'm focused on today, on this practice,” he said. “And we'll see where we go from here.”

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New England Patriots cornerback Christian Gonzalez runs towards a practice field during the team's NFL football training camp, Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2026, in Foxborough, Mass. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

New England Patriots cornerback Christian Gonzalez catches a pass during an NFL football training camp, Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2026, in Foxborough, Mass. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

New England Patriots Executive Vice President of Player Personnel Eliot Wolf gestures during a media availability prior to an NFL football training camp, Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2026, in Foxborough, Mass. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

New England Patriots cornerback Christian Gonzalez catches a pass during an NFL football training camp, Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2026, in Foxborough, Mass. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

BROWNSVILLE, Texas (AP) — An Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer charged with shooting and wounding a man during the crackdown in Minneapolis then lying about it, could walk free from a Texas jail if a federal judge does not intervene Wednesday.

Christian Castro is charged in Minnesota with assault and falsely reporting a crime in the Jan. 14 shooting of 24-year-old Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis. Minnesota authorities have sought Castro’s extradition since his arrest, but he remains in custody in Brownsville, Texas, a city bordering Mexico.

Under Texas law, Castro must be released after 90 days of detention, which is Thursday.

Minnesota's lawsuit asks U.S. District Judge Fernando Rodriguez Jr. to order Castro's extradition and prevent the Cameron County sheriff from releasing him. The judge said Tuesday he was not inclined to stop the sheriff from releasing Castro, but that he would respond to the temporary restraining order on Wednesday.

Texas filed a motion late Tuesday asking for Minnesota's case to be dismissed.

Castro is accused of firing a gun through the front door of a Minneapolis home, shooting Sosa-Celis in the leg. Prosecutors say Castro also falsely accused Sosa-Celis and another man of attacking an ICE officer with a broom handle and a snow shovel.

At a federal hearing in Brownsville on Tuesday, attorneys with the Minnesota Attorney General’s Office argued it would be hard to compel Castro to face charges in their state if he is released, and they fear Castro may flee the country, citing his phone conversations with a woman who lives in Mexico.

Attorneys representing Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s office said he had not decided whether to deny or grant Minnesota’s extradition request and therefore the lawsuit was premature.

“I think ripeness is a significant issue,” Rodriguez told attorneys.

Abbott ordered an internal state investigation to determine if Castro can be legally considered a “fugitive.” Trevor W. Ezell, Abbott’s general counsel, also questioned whether the court could impose a deadline for the governor to respond to an extradition request.

“There’s nothing legally left for them to investigate,” Kimberly Ann Svendsen, an attorney representing the Minnesota attorney general, told the judge.

Abbott said last week he would not respond to the extradition request, citing the ongoing investigation into fraud in government social service programs in Minnesota, which President Donald Trump used to justify his immigration crackdown there.

FILE - Hennepin County attorney Mary Moriarty holds up a document containing charges against ICE agent Christian Castro during a news conference at the Hennepin County Government Center in Minneapolis, on Monday, May 18, 2026. (Renée Jones Schneider/Minnesota Star Tribune via AP,File)

FILE - A federal agent wears an Immigration and Customs Enforcement badge in New York, June 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura, File)