The New England Patriots' 2025 season was an overwhelming success, but looking at their offseason, you wouldn't think so.
Rather than running it back in 2026, Mike Vrabel and company have made a conscious effort to improve the team across the board. Acquiring A.J. Brown was, of course, the biggest news, while Romeo Doubs, Alijah Vera-Tucker, and Kevin Byard topped the list as other top free agency additions.
Over the last two offseasons, Vrabel has cleansed the team of its old leadership and star players. In a single offseason, no player who began the 2024 season as a captain was on the roster come the spring of 2025. Kyle Dugger and Keion White were traded midseason, while Marte Mapu and Caedan Wallace met the same fate this offseason.
Anfernee Jennings and Jahlani Tavai were released, and even Jaylinn Hawkins was let walk despite a career year. Mike Onwenu recently took a pay cut to ensure he'd remain with the team in 2026, but given his expiring contract at the end of the season, there seems to be a real possibility his departure is only a matter of time.
Examining the Patriots' roster now, only two of ten players on the team who are top ten in cap hit were with the team before Mike Vrabel's hiring: Onwenu and Christian Barmore.
While the former is in a contract year and recently took a pay cut, the same can't be said for Barmore. Hence, the former Alabama lineman is under immense pressure in 2026.
Christian Barmore is under the most pressure to perform in 2026
Mike Vrabel's roster reconstruction is near-complete, if not already finished. He's been able to weed out the players from previous regimes who don't fit the way he wants to play, and it appears the final players he's looking to replace are Onwenu and Barmore.
Onwenu's pay cut was likely the alternative to his trade or release, seeing as the team signed Vera-Tucker and selected Caleb Lomu, who was projected by some analysts as a guard during the pre-draft process.
Looking at the defensive line, a similar thing could occur involving Barmore this year. Milton Williams is the face of the group, but the IDL's depth was fantastic last year. Cory Durden remains with the team, while the likes of Joshua Farmer, Leonard Taylor, and Eric Gregory all made their presence felt last season.
Barmore had a career high in pressures last season, but has only 35 tackles and 3.0 sacks in 21 regular season games since signing his contract extension after the 2023 season, in which he had 64 tackles and 8.5 sacks.
By releasing him of finding a trade partner next offseason, the Patriots would save $16.4 million, nearly 70% of his 2027 cap hit. They are projected to have around $24 million in cap space next offseason before any roster changes, which is likely to dwindle quickly after Christian Gonzalez is re-signed.
Should Vrabel see more value in Durden on a cheaper contract, for example, the team could look to cut ties with Barmore. Furthermore, they could look to spend a top draft pick on a defensive tackle to replace the former Crimson Tide player and save money.
A strong season would likely see him continue to play for the Patriots, however. As Hunter Henry showed with his recent extension, being a leader in the locker room and reliable on Sundays pays off, no matter who the coach is.
Barmore is under real pressure, but could put himself in a position to stay for years to come with a strong 2026.
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