Roughly 24 hours before training camp, all seems well between the Patriots and Christian Gonzalez.

Could that change when the team hits the field on Saturday morning? Sure, but it seems unlikely as of now.

During his press conference on Friday morning after players reported and went through their standard running tests, Vrabel was obviously asked about Gonzalez and assured everyone he was there and should be involved when things get going.

“He is here, and I would expect him to participate,” he said. “So, those contract negotiations are ongoing between the club and his agents. I’m excited about having Christian back here with us and the impact that he can make on our football team, and I really enjoy the person, enjoy the player. That’s what I’m looking forward to.”

Vrabel was also asked if he feels like Seattle’s Devon Witherspoon is holding things up, especially since they have the same agent.

“No, I don’t think they have anything to do with one another,” Vrabel said. “We’re not negotiating with the Seahawks; we’re negotiating with Christian’s representatives. I don’t think that there’s anything different than just our communication with him.”

While everything sounds and feels good for now, fans will be much more comfortable actually seeing Gonzalez out there with his teammates on Saturday. With millions of dollars on the line and every player potentially just one wrong move away from the end of their career, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Gonzalez do less than more early on.

The good news is that things don’t sound combative. The Patriots need Christian Gonzalez. Marcus Jones said on Friday that he ‘knows for a fact’ that Gonzalez loves it here. It’s only a matter of time now, right?