Former Oregon Ducks cornerback Christian Gonzalez is standing up for his former head coach following the end of his second season with the New England Patriots.
During a recent appearance on the Frat Rules Podcast, Gonzalez said that New England's decision to fire coach Jerod Mayo after just one season was "dirty," as the Patriots finished the year with a 4-13 record. New England has since hired former Tennessee Titans coach Mike Vrabel to replace Mayo.
"I think they did him a little dirty giving him only one year," Gonzalez said on the Frat Rules Podcast, per USA Today. "But, it’s business. ... They damn near cleaned house. When Bill left, it was basically the same staff, just without Bill."
Mayo, a former linebacker for the Patriots, had a ton of pressure on his shoulders as the first head coach for the franchise not name Bill Belichick for the first time in over 20 years.
New England has been in a rebuilding phase since the departure of Tom Brady, and selecting Gonzalez No. 17 overall in 2023 was one of the more notable draft moves aimed at eventually getting the team back to championship relevancy.
During his rookie season in Foxboro, Gonzalez played in just four games while registering 17 total tackles, a sack and an interception. But in 2024, he turned things up a notch, posting 59 total tackles (50 solo), one fumble recovery, 11 pass breakups and two interceptions. Ball-hawking ability is nothing new for Gonzalez, who had four picks during his only season at Oregon in 2022.
Gonzalez was a finalist for the NFL's Comeback Player of the Year award this season, joining Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow, Los Angeles Chargers running back J.K. Dobbins, Minnesota Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold and Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin. Burrow ended up winning.
Gonzalez also told the Frat Rules Podcast that draft night in 2023 was "stressful" for him after he fell out of the top 10.
“That was probably one of the most stressful [nights] ... I know I’m gonna get picked, but I don’t know where. I don’t know what’s next. I don’t know where in the country I’m gonna live. . . . But then I was kinda falling. I was thinking I was going top ten," said Gonzalez.
He added that his focus is on winning knowing that further opportunities and blessings come from securing victories on the field.
“I really just wanna win. I mean, everything comes from winning in the league," Gonzalez said. "Yeah, you can have individual success… [but] then everybody on the team [is] eatin’. It ain’t just me, it ain’t just Drake [Maye], it ain’t just Keion [White]. It ain’t just certain people eatin’. Everybody's eatin’. Everybody's getting endorsements, everybody's getting certain things. So, really just winning. When you win, everything comes from winning.”
Gonzalez will now head into his third season in the NFL looking to further build off of his solid 2024 campaign.
