A familiar foe awaits Christian Gonzalez in the Patriots' opener

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – There has been a lot of focus on Christian Gonzalez's status for the New England Patriots' season opener against the Seattle Seahawks. Would he agree to a contract extension with the Patriots, and if not, would he be willing to play without a new deal in place? The Patriots staved off those concerns by agreeing to a four-year, $135 million deal with the star cornerback on early Tuesday. And with that, the timing lines up perfectly for Wednesday's rematch with Seahawks All-Pro wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba. The Seahawks have one of the best wide receivers in the league, and it will likely be Gonzalez's job to cover him. On Monday, the fourth-year defender was very complimentary of Smith-Njigba. 'Jaxon's a great, great receiver,' Gonzalez told reporters. 'I respect him completely. I mean, he can do it all. Everybody saw the year he had last year, and just being from the same area, it's real cool to watch each other come up and then be able to play on the biggest stage and support each other and see each other do what we do. So, it's fun.' Last season, Smith-Njigba was named the 2025 NFL Offensive Player of the Year and earned the First-team All-Pro honor. "Well, just the suddenness, route craft. He is smooth, he can play at different speeds, he plays inside, he runs a full route tree, he is strong at the catch point," Patriots defensive coordinator Zak Kuhr explained. "But I just think that the savviness and the ability to get in and out of breaks is really impressive." However, in the Super Bowl, Smith-Njigba wasn't as big a factor as he had been in past games, with Gonzalez holding him to just four receptions for 27 yards. The Patriots are going to need that again from the cornerback as they look to get revenge and start the season with a win over the reigning Super Bowl champions. Follow Patriots Wire on Twitter and Facebook.