The entirety of the New England Patriots’ 2023 draft class is now under contract.
Both Christian Gonzalez and Keion White agreed to their rookie contracts with the Patriots, the team announced Friday.
Gonzalez’s contract is a four-year, $15.1 million deal that includes a $7.98 million signing bonuses, the Boston Herald’s Doug Kyed reported Friday. As with all first-round picks, Gonzalez’s deal is expected to include a fifth-year team option that must be exercised ahead of the 2026 season.
Patriots sign 2023 first-round draft pick CB Christian Gonzalez and second-round draft pick DE Keion White: https://t.co/IJfBm4IMfG
— New England Patriots (@Patriots) July 21, 2023
As for White, his deal is a $7.79 million deal over four years with a $2.67 million signing bonus and $5.3 million guaranteed, according to Kyed.
Gonzalez and White were the last two members of the Patriots’ 2023 draft class without a contract prior to Friday.
Article Continues BelowThe deals for Gonzalez and White were agreed upon the first day rookies had to report for training camp. Practices officially begin for the Patriots on Wednesday.
Based on practices during organized team activities and minicamp, both players appear in-line for big roles in their rookie seasons. Gonzalez got a good amount of work on the starting unit and appeared to play the No.1 corner spot during the teams practices. With Jack Jones’ status in question entering the season, Gonzalez could end up playing a vital role on the Patriots’ defense in 2023.
White, meanwhile, was heavily in the mix in the defensive end rotation on the starting unit.
Ideally for the Patriots, this would be the first of at least a couple of contracts both Gonzalez and White sign with the team. Many draft experts viewed Gonzalez as the second-best corner Ana’s a top 10 overall talent in the 2023 class, which was why it was a surprise the Patriots were able to draft him at No. 17. White wasn’t as highly-regarded, but some evaluators viewed him as a borderline first-round pick before the Patriots took him with the No. 47 overall pick.