Here's what Christian Gonzalez said about his deal with the Patriots

FOXBORO – Christian Gonzalez talked about his contract negotiations, and the offense impressed as the New England Patriots put their helmets back on after a walkthrough on Monday for the fourth straight day of training camp on Tuesday, July 28.

Gonzalez talked to the media after Tuesday’s practice for the first time since owner Robert Kraft announced to the media on Saturday that the Patriots had offered Gonzalez a contract to make him both the highest-paid cornerback in league history and the highest-paid player in Patriots history.

Gonzalez, however, was not as candid as Kraft was about the negotiations.

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“Everybody knows what Mr. Kraft has done; [I have] a ton of respect for Mr. Kraft, and what he’s done with the franchise,” Gonzalez said. “It’s just something we don’t want to handle in the media. I keep that with the team, and in my team, and go on about that.”

Gonzalez repeated variations of the phrase “Keep that between my team and the front office” when he continued to be asked about the contract negotiations.

When asked why he is still at training camp despite the risk of injury, which could ruin any leverage he may have during the negotiations, he highlighted “building chemistry” with the team’s offseason additions and how lucky he is to be playing football for a job as the main reasons.

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The first few periods of the day focused on footwork and ball-tracking skills, with some players being taken off to the side to work on kickoff return drills. Head coach Mike Vrabel mentioned before practice on Monday the importance of finding a kickoff returner, with cornerback Marcus Jones established as the team’s primary punt returner.

“[Kickoff]’s a critical play, which we will spend a lot of time going forward,” Vrabel said. “There has to be somebody that we can find that can help us create field position and make teams think about kicking off to us or putting them all in the end zone and giving it to us at the 35 [yard line] because we have a real weapon there.”

Some notable names that were part of that group were: running back TreVeyon Henderson and wide receivers DeMario Douglas, Efton Chism III and Kyle Williams.

The team then brought the offense and defense (except the offensive and defensive lines) over to go against each other. During the beginning of that period, the defense continued to win against the offense as it has in training camp so far. Drake Maye went one-for-three in his first three passes, including two overthrows deep down the sideline. He was able to redeem himself by threading the needle between two defenders and finding Kayshon Boutte.

Rookie tight end Eli Raridon made a spectacular play during the drill as he caught backup quarterback Tommy DeVito‘s pass against his defender’s helmet while maintaining possession as he fell to the ground. Raridon is projected to be the No. 2 tight end behind Hunter Henry this season. He was also one of two rookies selected to run around the field and get the fans hyped, a new tradition that seems to have been added this offseason. 

The team then brought in the offensive and defensive lines for an 11-on-11 showdown in front of the fans. The defense continued to pressure the offense until Maye and Boutte connected for the play of the day.

Maye delivered a perfect downfield pass to Boutte’s back shoulder for what would’ve counted as a touchdown. Kevin Byard III, who earned First Team All-Pro honors last season, was in tight coverage against Boutte but was just a half step behind.

This play sparked a run of crowd-pleasing plays for the offense, with catches from Boutte (once again), Henry and A.J. Brown that were applauded and cheered by the fans. While Boutte may have had the play of the day, the catch of the day went to Henry, who jumped up in the air on a corner route and “Moss-ed” Jones for the completion. Henry, who turns 33 in December, showed that he still had some youth in him with that catch.

In a wide receiver room that is sure to see some big-name cuts when rosters are forced to be whittled down from 90 to 53, it feels like every practice can change fans and coaches’ perspectives on who should make the roster.

For second-year wide receiver Kyle Williams, the competition has helped him improve his skills as he looks to carve out a role for himself this season, he said. 

“Iron sharpens iron at the end of the day,” Williams said. “So when you got guys like A.J. [Brown], Pop [Douglas] and Mack [Hollins], I mean these dudes can play. So, we’re just forced to come out here and compete at a higher level, and have no slack in your game.”

The Patriots have the day off on Wednesday, but will return to the field on Thursday, July 30. With rain currently in the forecast, practice may move indoors and thus be closed to the public. For the latest updates about training camp, visit Patriots.com.

This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Here’s what Christian Gonzalez said about his deal with the Patriots