​After participating in practices throughout training camp, New England Patriots cornerback Christian Gonzalez was nowhere to be found for Tuesday’s scrimmage with the Indianapolis Colts. So what gives? There’s no ignoring the elephant in the room—that being Gonzalez’s ongoing contract negotiations with the team. Did something suddenly change after the star cornerback saw tight end Hunter Henry agree to a two-year extension with the Patriots on Monday? Or, maybe it was simply a rest day. ESPN’s Mike Reiss noted that the star cornerback came up slow after defending Romeo Doubs on a play at the end of Monday’s practice. NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport called the entire situation “interesting.”“I wanna be clear, I do not know why Christian Gonzalez was not at practice today,” Rapoport said on The Pat McAfee Show. “But it’s interesting to me that yesterday they agreed to terms with Hunter Henry on a new contract extension, and then the next day Christian Gonzalez is not practicing. …I think there’s a good chance [Devon] Witherspoon gets done. I think. I don’t know about Gonzalez, whether it’s gonna be this year or next year. But the timing is certainly something I took note of today and is interesting.””I don’t know why Christian Gonzalez didn’t practice today..I think there’s a good chance the Devon Witherspoon deal gets done..I don’t know if it’s gonna be this year or next year for Christian Gonzalez” ~ @RapSheet#PMSLivepic.twitter.com/hPtuDB185E— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) August 11, 2026There has been a belief that Gonzalez is willing to drag out negotiations to become the highest-paid cornerback in the NFL. If that is the case, his deal would likely come after Seattle Seahawks cornerback Devon Witherspoon, who could potentially reset the market with his eventual extension. And then Gonzalez could turn around and reset it once again with his new deal. Regardless, all eyes will be on Gonzalez’s status in the coming days to see if this absence was merely an aberration or growing trend. Follow Patriots Wire on Twitter and Facebook.This article originally appeared on Patriots Wire: NFL insider calls Christian Gonzalez missing scrimmage ‘interesting’