Christian Gonzalez (born June 28, 2002) is an American professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

cornerback A cornerback (CB) is a member of the defensive backfield or secondary in gridiron football. Cornerbacks cover Wide receiver, receivers most of the time, but also blitz and defend against such Play from scrimmage, offensive running plays as sweep ...

for the

New England Patriots The New England Patriots are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston area. The Patriots compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The Pa ...

of the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...

(NFL). He played two seasons of

college football College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football American football in the United States, firs ...

for the

Colorado Buffaloes The Colorado Buffaloes are the athletic teams that represent the University of Colorado Boulder. The university sponsors 16 varsity sports teams. Both the men's and women's teams are called the Buffaloes (Buffs for short) or, rarely, the Golden ...

and one with the

Oregon Ducks The Oregon Ducks are the College sports in the United States, intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of Oregon, located in Eugene, Oregon, Eugene. The Ducks compete at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) NCA ...

prior to being selected by the Patriots in the first round of the

2023 NFL draft The 2023 NFL draft was the 88th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible players for the 2023 NFL season, 2023 season. The NFL draft, draft was held outside of Kansas City Union Station, Union Station i ...

. He is the younger brother of Colombian-American

hurdler Hurdling is the act of jumping over an obstacle at a high speed or in a sprint. In the early 19th century, hurdlers ran at and jumped over each hurdle (sometimes known as 'burgles'), landing on both feet and checking their forward motion. Today ...

Melissa Gonzalez.

Early life

Gonzalez was born on June 28, 2002, in

Carrollton, Texas Carrollton is a city in Dallas County, Texas, Dallas, Denton County, Texas, Denton, and Collin County, Texas, Collin counties in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, its population was 133,434, making it the ...

. He grew up in

The Colony, Texas The Colony is a city in Denton County, Texas, United States, and a suburb of Dallas. The population was 44,534 at the 2020 census. History The Colony derives its name from the original Peters Colony. The Peters Colony headquarters was locate ...

, and attended The Colony High School, where he was rated a four-star prospect as a

and

wide receiver A wide receiver (WR), also referred to as a wideout, and historically known as a split end (SE) or flanker (FL), is an eligible receiver in gridiron football. A key skill position of the offense (American football), offense, WR gets its name ...

. Gonzalez initially committed to play

Purdue University Purdue University is a Public university#United States, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in West Lafayette, Indiana, United States, and the flagship campus of the Purdue University system. The university was founded ...

before enrolling at the

University of Colorado The University of Colorado (CU) is a system of public universities in Colorado. It consists of four institutions: the University of Colorado Boulder, the University of Colorado Colorado Springs, the University of Colorado Denver, and the U ...

College career

Gonzalez would become a full-time

upon joining the

Colorado Buffaloes football The Colorado Buffaloes football program represents the University of Colorado Boulder in college football at the NCAA Division I FBS level, and is a member of the Big 12 Conference. The team was a charter member of the Big 12 before leaving to jo ...

team in 2020. He started every game as a freshman, making 25 tackles with five pass deflections. As a sophomore, he had 53 tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss, and five passes broken up. Gonzalez transferred to the

University of Oregon The University of Oregon (UO, U of O or Oregon) is a Public university, public research university in Eugene, Oregon, United States. Founded in 1876, the university is organized into nine colleges and schools and offers 420 undergraduate and gra ...

in 2022 to play for the

. He was named first-team All-Pac-12 after recording 45 tackles, 7 pass breakups, and 3 interceptions. After the season, Gonzalez decided to forgo his remaining two years of eligibility and enter the

Professional career

Pre-draft

Dane Brugler of ''

the Athletic ''The Athletic'' is a subscription-based sports journalism department of ''The New York Times''. It provides national and local coverage in 47 North American cities as well as the United Kingdom. ''The Athletic'' also covers national stories ...

'' had him ranked as the top cornerback available in the draft. Pro Football Focus listed Gonzalez as the second best cornerback prospect (12th overall) on their big board. NFL analyst

Bucky Brooks William Eldridge "Bucky" Brooks Jr. (born January 22, 1971) is an American sportswriter and former professional football player. He played for five National Football League (NFL) teams in a five-year career, primarily as a kick returner. He was ...

and

ESPN ESPN (an initialism of their original name, which was the Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by the Walt Disney Company (80% and operational control) and Hearst Commu ...

had Gonzalez ranked as the second best cornerback in the draft. He was also ranked second amongst all cornerback prospects by NFL.com media analyst Daniel Jeremiah and ESPN analyst Mel Kiper Jr. He was also ranked as the second best cornerback prospect by Michael Renner of Pro Football Focus.

Scouts Inc. Scouts Inc. is a partner of ESPN Inc., that specializes in scouting and evaluating current and future players and teams in professional, college and high school sports. The content is provided on the ESPN television networks, ESPN Radio and ESPN ...

had Gonzalez listed as the second best cornerback (eigth overall) on their big board. NFL draft analyst

Lance Zierlein Lance Zierlein is a sports analyst and commentator. He has hosted sports talk shows on KILT 610, KBME 790, KGOW 1560 AM, and KFNC 97.5 FM in Houston, Texas. Career Zierlein graduated from Lamar Consolidated High School in 1988. Following high ...

projected Gonzalez to be selected in the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft.

2023

The

selected Gonzalez in the first round (17th overall) of the

. He was the third cornerback drafted and the first of two cornerbacks selected by the Patriots in 2023, along with seventh-round (252nd overall)

Alex Austin Alex Austin (born May 22, 2001) is an American professional football cornerback for the New England Patriots of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Oregon State Beavers. Early life Austin was born and raised ...

. On July 23, 2023, the New England Patriots signed Gonzalez to a fully-guaranteed four–year, $15.10 million

rookie A rookie is a person new to an occupation, profession, or hobby. In sports, a ''rookie'' is a professional athlete in their first season (or year). In contrast with a veteran who has experience, a rookie is typically considered needing more tra ...

contract A contract is an agreement that specifies certain legally enforceable rights and obligations pertaining to two or more parties. A contract typically involves consent to transfer of goods, services, money, or promise to transfer any of thos ...

that includes an initial

signing bonus A signing bonus or sign-on bonus is a sum of money paid to a new employee (including a professional sports person) by a company as an incentive to join that company. They are often given as a way of making a compensation package more attractive ...

of $7.98 million. Throughout training camp, he competed to earn a role as the No. 2 starting cornerback against Marcus Jones, Myles Bryant, and Shaun Wade. Head coach

Bill Belichick William Stephen Belichick ( ; born April 16, 1952) is an American football coach who is the head coach for the North Carolina Tar Heels. Widely regarded as one of the greatest head coaches of all time, he holds numerous coaching records, inc ...

named him a starting cornerback to begin the season, alongside No. 1 starting cornerback Jonathan Jones. On September 10, 2023, Gonzalez made his professional regular season debut and earned his first career start in the New England Patriots' home-opener against the

Philadelphia Eagles The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia. The Eagles compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. The team plays its ...

and set a season-high with seven combined tackles (five solo), broke up a pass, and had his first career sack on

Jalen Hurts Jalen Alexander Hurts (born August 7, 1998) is an American professional American football, football quarterback for the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League (NFL). Hurts began his college football career with the Alabama Crims ...

for an eight–yard loss during a 20–25 loss. In week 2, he set a season-high with six solo tackles, made one pass deflection, and made his first career interception on a pass attempt thrown by

Tua Tagovailoa Tuanigamanuolepola Donny Tagovailoa ( ; born March 2, 1998) is an American professional American football, football quarterback for the Miami Dolphins of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Alabama Crimson Tide ...

to wide receiver

Tyreek Hill Tyreek Hill (born March 1, 1994) is an American professional football wide receiver for the Miami Dolphins of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Garden City Broncbusters, Oklahoma State Cowboys, and West ...

during a 17–24 loss against the

Miami Dolphins The Miami Dolphins are a professional American football team based in the Miami metropolitan area. The Dolphins compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The team ...

. He was awarded with his first NFL award, receiving Defensive Rookie of the Month for September. In week 4, Gonzalez recorded one solo tackle before exiting during the second quarter of a 3–38 loss at the

Dallas Cowboys The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. T ...

after suffering a torn labrum. On October 7, 2023, the Patriots officially placed Gonzalez was on injured reserve for the remainder of the season after it was confirmed that he had suffered a dislocated shoulder and torn labrum, with both requiring surgery. He finished his rookie season with a total of 17 combined tackles (14 solo), three pass deflections, one sack, and an interception in four games and four starts. He received an overall grade of 80.8 from Pro Football Focus in 2023.

2024

On January 12, 2024, the

promoted inside linebackers coach

Jerod Mayo Jerod Andrew Mayo Sr. (born February 23, 1986) is an American professional football coach and former linebacker who played in the National Football League (NFL) for eight seasons with the New England Patriots. He also served as the head coach ...

to head coach following the departure of

. Defensive coordinator DeMarcus Covington chose to retain Gonzalez and Jonathan Jones as the starting cornerbacks to begin the season. On October 6, 2024, Gonzalez tied his season-high of six solo tackles, made two pass deflections, and intercepted a pass by

Tyler Huntley Tyler Isaiah Huntley (born February 3, 1998) is an American professional American football, football quarterback. Nicknamed "Snoop", he played college football for the Utah Utes football, Utah Utes, leading them to Pac-12 South Division titl ...

to wide receiver Odell Beckham during a 10–15 loss to the

. On November 24, 2024, Gonzalez made three combined tackles (two solo), one pass deflection, and returned a fumble recovery 63–yards to score his first career touchdown during a 15–34 loss at the Miami Dolphins. He scored his touchdown after recovering a fumble by running back Jaylen Wright that was caused by linebacker Marte Mapu in the fourth quarter. In week 13, he tied his season-high of six combined tackles (five solo), made two pass deflections, and set a career-high with his second interception of the season on a pass by Anthony Richardson to wide receiver Alec Pierce during a 24–25 loss to the

Indianapolis Colts The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. The Colts compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. Since the 2008 India ...

. On December 28, 2024, Gonzalez recorded one solo tackle before exiting early in the second quarter of a 7–40 loss against the

Los Angeles Chargers The Los Angeles Chargers are a professional American football team based in the Greater Los Angeles, Greater Los Angeles area. The Chargers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC W ...

after sustaining a

concussion A concussion, also known as a mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI), is a head injury that temporarily affects brain functioning. Symptoms may include headache, dizziness, difficulty with thinking and concentration, sleep disturbances, a brief ...

. He was subsequently inactive for the Patriots' 23–16 victory against the

Buffalo Bills The Buffalo Bills are a professional American football team based in the Buffalo–Niagara Falls metropolitan area. The Bills compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East div ...

in week 18. He finished the season with 59 combined tackles (50 solo), 11 pass deflections, two interceptions, one fumble recovery, and a touchdown in 16 games and 16 starts. He received an overall grade of 76.0 from Pro Football Focus, which ranked 21st amongst 222 qualifying cornerbacks in 2024.

2025

On January 12, 2025, the

hired

Mike Vrabel Michael George Vrabel ( ; born August 14, 1975) is an American professional American football, football coach and former linebacker who is the head coach of the New England Patriots of the National Football League (NFL). He played college footba ...

to be their new head coach after firing Jerod Mayo following a 4–13 record in 2024.

NFL career statistics

Regular season

Personal life

Gonzalez was born to a Colombian family. His father, Hector, is 6-foot-9 and played college basketball at the

University of Texas at El Paso The University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) is a public university, public research university in El Paso, Texas, United States. Founded in 1913 as the State School of Mines and Metallurgy, it is the third oldest academic component of the Univers ...

before playing

semiprofession A semiprofession is an occupation that requires advanced knowledge and skills but is not widely regarded as a true profession. Traditional examples of semiprofessions include social work, journalism, librarianship, teaching and nursing. Such fi ...

ally in Colombia. He has three sisters,

Melissa Melissa is a feminine given name. The name comes from the Greek language, Greek word μέλισσα (''mélissa''), "bee", which in turn comes from μέλι (''meli''), "honey". In Hittite language, Hittite, ''melit'' signifies "honey". Meliss ...

, Samantha, and Lily. Melissa (

University of Texas The University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin, UT, or Texas) is a public research university in Austin, Texas, United States. Founded in 1883, it is the flagship institution of the University of Texas System. With 53,082 students as of fall 2 ...

) and Samantha (

University of Miami The University of Miami (UM, UMiami, Miami, U of M, and The U) is a private university, private research university in Coral Gables, Florida, United States. , the university enrolled 19,852 students in two colleges and ten schools across over ...

) were two-time

All-American The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed on outstanding athletes in the United States who are considered to be among the best athletes in their respective sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an Al ...

s in

track and field Track and field (or athletics in British English) is a sport that includes Competition#Sports, athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name used in North America is derived from where the sport takes place, a ru ...

, with Melissa representing Colombia in international events. Gonzalez is the

brother-in-law A sibling-in-law is the spouse of one's sibling or the sibling of one’s spouse. More commonly, a sibling-in-law is referred to as a brother-in-law for a male sibling-in-law and a sister-in-law for a female sibling-in-law. Sibling-in-law al ...

of NFL coach and former quarterback David Blough, who is married to Melissa.

References

External links

*
New England Patriots bioOregon Ducks bioColorado Buffaloes bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gonzalez, Christian 2002 births Living people Players of American football from Carrollton, Texas American football cornerbacks American sportspeople of Colombian descent Colorado Buffaloes football players Oregon Ducks football players People from The Colony, Texas New England Patriots players Hispanic and Latino American players of American football