3 Patriots contract extensions that need immediate attention
These players would be valuable for several more years in New England.
By Lee Vowell
The New England Patriots are going through what Pats fans hope will be a short rebuild. The coaching staff has changed to a great degree and the roster is a little different. But to be fair, some parts of New England's team were not terrible in 2023. The defense was good.
The team is likely to add more offensive pieces than defensive in the 2024 NFL draft, at least as far as the high draft picks go. New England simply has greater needs on that side of the ball. But the Patriots do not want to create issues down the road, either.
That means the team should look to extend some players currently under contract for 2024 a bit early. Why wait until the players hit free agency next offseason. To make for a quicker turnaround back to being a playoff contender, New England needs to work out extensions with these three players.
New England Patriots need to extend defensive lineman Christian Barmore
Barmore is ascending at the exact right time. The 2021 second-round draft pick is still just 24 years old and has improved every season. But he absolutely exploded in 2023 with 8.5 sacks, 16 quarterback hits, and 13 tackles for loss. He graded as the eighth-best interior defensive lineman in the league this past season, according to Pro Football Focus (subscription required). The fact is that if Barmore has another season - or better - as he did in 2023, he is going to cost a lot of money in 2025.
This has been a great offseason for defensive tackles financially. Christian Wilkins signed with the Las Vegas Raiders for four years and $110 million. Derrick Browns was re-signed by the Carolina Panthers for four seasons and $96 million. Barmore is going to be expensive to bring back, but his production has shown he should be because the Patriots won't have an easy time finding his replacement.
Barmore is a bit better at pass rush than he is as a run-stopper, but he also is not bad against the run. The point is that Barmore is a well-rounded three-down defensive tackle whom a defense can build around. The only way New England can do that, though, is if the team spends quite a bit to bring him back. The good part is that currently, New England has the most cap space in the NFL in 2025.