Gonzalez was named second-team All-Pro after missing most of his rookie year due to injury.
The New England Patriots were mostly an afterthought at the NFL Honors ceremony in New Orleans on Thursday night. No players or coaches were among those recognized, while the team’s Hall of Fame finalists — headlined by Adam Vinatieri — missed the cut as well.
Among the Patriots’ active players, only one was a realistic candidate to get honored. Cornerback Christian Gonzalez was in the running for the NFL Comeback Player of the Year award, even though he entered Thursday as a clear underdog. He ended up finishing fifth in the vote.
Gonzalez received a pair of first-place votes, and was ranked second by three voters, third by seven, fourth by six, and fifth by one. His resulting 69 total points — distributed 10-5-3-2-1 — placed him behind winner Joe Burrow of the Cincinnati Bengals (370) as well as the Chargers’ J.K. Dobbins (195), Vikings’ Sam Darnold (102), and Bills’ Damar Hamlin (86).
A first-round draft pick by the Patriots in 2023, Gonzalez appeared in only four games as a rookie before suffering a season-ending shoulder injury. He made his comeback in 2024 and quickly picked up where he left off, competing against some of the top pass catchers in football and along the way establishing himself as one of the top cornerbacks in the game.
Gonzalez, who registered a pair of interceptions and returned a fumble recovery for a touchdown, was named second-team All-Pro after the season. Despite missing the season finale, he finished his sophomore campaign as the Patriots’ leader in defensive snaps (978).
A nationwide panel of 50 media members voted on the Associated Press awards handed out on Thursday. The only other Patriots to receive votes were quarterback Drake Maye, who finished seventh in the Rookie of the Year category with nine total points via three third-place rankings, as well as offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt who received one fifth-place vote.