Aaron Rodgers Sends 'Respect' Message to New England Patriots' Christian Gonzalez

At just 22-years-old, New England Patriots' Christian Gonzalez has been one of the most dominant man-to-man defenders in the NFL through the first three weeks of the season. Even New York Jets' quarterback Aaron Rodgers went on "The Pat McAfee Show" to praise the former Oregon Duck.

August 8, 2024; Foxborough, MA, USA; New England Patriots cornerback Christian Gonzalez (0) warms up before a game against the Carolina Panthers at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Eric Canha-Imagn Images / Eric Canha-Imagn Images

Since getting drafted by the New England Patriots with the 17th pick in the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft, former Oregon Ducks star Christian Gonzalez has been a dominant, lockdown cornerback no matter who he's been covering.

He has only played a total of seven games in his young career as Gonzalez tore his labrum which ended his 2023 season earlier than anticipated. Despite the small sample size, take a look at what he has allowed (or lack thereof) when guarding some of the NFL's best wideouts:

Garrett Wilson: 30 routes, five receptions, 25 yards, one touchdown
DK Metcalf: 36 routes, three receptions, 24 yards
Jamarr Chase: 20 routes, three receptions, 15 yards
Garrett Wilson: 23 routes, three receptions, 18 yards
Tyreek Hill: 17 routes, zero receptions, zero yards, one interception
Jaylen Waddle: four routes, one reception, 15 yards
DeVonta Smith: 11 routes, two receptions, 22 yards, one pass break up
AJ Brown: 19 routes, four receptions, 47 yards

Sep 8, 2024; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase (1) runs with the ball against New England Patriots cornerback Christian Gonzalez (0) in the first half at Paycor Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Katie Stratman-Imagn Images / Katie Stratman-Imagn Images

Gonzalez has given up just one touchdown in his career and it just happened this past Thursday in the loss at the New York Jets, 24-3. He still did a fantastic job of playing to his leverage and squeezing to the sideline in man coverage in his second career matchup against wide receiver Garrett Wilson. Quarterback Aaron Rodgers noticed the former Oregon Duck and he's going to be special for years to come in the AFC East division.

“I think he’s a great kid. He’s super, super talented. He is an elite player. When a guy is going to follow, we call it star coverage. The respect level from me goes up… I give those guys who do star coverage a lot of credit and a lot of respect. And Christian is one of those guys who enjoys the challenge, enjoys the competition and will go side to side.”

- Aaron Rodgers via "The Pat McAfee Show"

Sep 19, 2024; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers (8) pre game against the New England Patriots at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Robert Deutsch-Imagn Images / Robert Deutsch-Imagn Images

Despite all of his success in the secondary, PFF ranks Gonzalez just 114th out of 143 cornerback through the first three weeks of the season. PFF only assigns coverage grades at the catch point and after the catch so he gets no credit for shadowing a top receiver like Chase, Metcalf and Wilson if that player isn't targeted. Pretty absurd but it doesn't seem to bother Gonzalez one bit.

"I don't really care, to be honest. Anything outside of these walls doesn't matter... There are some plays that I left out there that I wish I could have made... I could have turned a PBU into a pick. It'll come."

- Christian Gonzalez on PFF grade

The Patriots may have some quarterback issues to solve but at least head coach Jerod Mayo can trust Gonzalez with whoever his coverage assignment is on a weekly basis. New England has started the 2024 season with a 1-2 overall record and look to get back to a .500 winning percentage when they travel to the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday, Sept. 29 at 1:05 p.m. PT.

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