Karen Guregian: Was star cornerback's Jumbotron gesture sending Patriots a message?

One simple gesture flashed by Christian Gonzalez on the Jumbotron during the third quarter of Wednesday night’s Celtics game - rubbing two fingertips against his thumb with both hands - certainly piqued interest with followers of the Patriots.

What, if anything, did it mean?

Was the team’s star cornerback flashing the “pay me” or “show me the money” gesture as a not-so-subtle reminder about contract talks with the Patriots on an extension?

Did it signal a new mega-deal was coming? Or, that no deal was in sight?

Might it also have been Gonzalez telegraphing that he planned on squeezing the Patriots for every possible nickel with that not-so-covert money sign?

All of the above are possibilities. It’s just hard to say if any of those scenarios are in fact the case. There’s no certainty.

While playing the interpretation game is amusing, it could also mean nothing more than Gonzalez was having a little fun during the Celtics win over the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder.

Only Gonzalez knows for sure.

But it’s attention-getting because along with the A.J. Brown trade talk, and the upcoming NFL Draft, any news of a possible Gonzalez extension has been at the top of the interest chart in New England.

FOX Sports recently reported that the Patriots have had “preliminary” talks with Gonzalez’ representatives about a new deal.

So that nugget added a measure of fuel to that fire.

Locking up the former Oregon star makes sense on so many levels. The Patriots, of course, don’t have to budge. They could simply kick in a fifth-year option for 2027 after Gonzalez’ rookie deal expires, and after that, hold onto him via the franchise tag.

If the option is in play, which is valued at $18.119 million, the Patriots have until May 1 to either pick it up or decline.

Needless to say, the Gonzalez’ camp would prefer an extension with a ton of guaranteed money. And looking at the big picture, that’s the path the Patriots should choose.

When it comes to Mike Vrabel’s regime, it’s an important message to send. The Patriots coach gained buy-in from the players. During his first year at the helm, he earned their trust.

Rewarding Gonzalez for being a card-carrying member of the Vrabel Way, being one of the best corners in the league, not to mention one of the team’s few elite players, sends the right message. It reinforces what Vrabel has been preaching.

Failing to do so would give players reason to question everything they bought into during last year’s Super Bowl run.

While Gonzalez wasn’t the most consistent performer last year, he was money during the critical stages of the season and playoffs. He made several game-saving type plays during the Super Bowl, and was especially effective when he took on Jaxon Smith-Njigba.

He basically shut down the Seahawks $168 million dollar man.

With the Los Angeles Rams giving Trent McDuffie a four-year, $124 million contract that averages $31 million following his trade from Kansas City, the expectation is for Gonzalez to top that figure, making him the NFL’s highest paid cornerback.

If it’s important for Gonzalez to be the top money guy, he might want to wait to see what Seattle’s Devon Witherspoon gets. The Seahawks top corner is also due for an extension. Who gets more just depends on who signs first.

Following the season, Gonzalez expressed his desire to remain a Patriot.

“I don’t want to be anywhere else,” he said when asked about the contract.

Of course, there’s a price attached.

It’s certainly possible Gonzalez, who also made an appearance at the France-Brazil friendly match at Gillette Stadium Thursday, is happy to wait for the Witherspoon deal to happen before agreeing to anything with the Patriots. That would pretty much assure him of being the cash king for the position until some other elite corner agrees to the next top of the market deal.

Either way, Gonzalez knows there’s a huge pay day in his future. It’s not a matter of if, it’s more like when.

From the Patriots end, the longer they wait, the higher the salary goes up.

And while they might save a few bucks by locking him up now, Gonzalez and his agent might want to drag it out a bit. Or, Gonzalez saw what Smith-Njigba - the receiver he shut down - is averaging ($42.15 million per year) with his new deal and the price went up even more.

Publicly, the Patriots have indicated wanting to keep Gonzalez around for the foreseeable future.

“He’s someone that we want to work with in the future, obviously, and we’ll have those conversations at the appropriate time,” Eliot Wolf, the Patriots executive VP of player personnel, told reporters two weeks ago.

It really shouldn’t come as a surprise all the intrigue generated and theories being spouted about Gonzalez’ gesture as he was sitting court side Wednesday night.

Perhaps, news of the preliminary talks was the motivation behind Gonzalez making the familiar money sign when the cameras caught him during the Celtics game.

It could have been the All-Pro corner’s impish way of acknowledging the contract situation, and what lies ahead.

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