The New England Patriots new regime has made it a goal of theirs to keep their own players in town this offseason, and part of that involves signing their young crop of players to long-term deals. The latest player to benefit from that strategy is star defensive tackle Christian Barmore, who cashed in on his breakout 2023 campaign with a four-year, $92 million extension with the Patriots.

Standout DT Christian Barmore and the Patriots reached agreement on a four-year deal with a maximum value of $92 million. The deal was negotiated and confirmed by Nicole Lynn, of Klutch Sports. https://t.co/eBmfg3n6YN

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) April 29, 2024

Barmore was selected by the Pats with the 38th overall pick over the 2021 NFL Draft, and he immediately became a key contributor along their defensive line. After struggling to stay on the field in 2022 due to injuries, Barmore fully broke out in 2023 and proved himself to be one of the top young interior defensive lineman in the entire league (64 tackles, 8.5 sacks, 13 TFL, 16 QB Hits, 6 PD, 1 FF).

As he was set to enter the final year of his rookie deal, it was clear Barmore needed a new deal some time soon, and the Patriots front office decided to get it out of the way this offseason. With tons of new deals for homegrown talent having come in over the past few months, Barmore’s massive $92 million haul is the biggest of the bunch, and it ensures New England will hold onto one of the top budding talents in the league.

Patriots splurge to keep Christian Barmore in town

New England has spent much of their energy this offseason either re-signing their key free agents, or extending the players they currently have on their roster. While they have largely managed to hammer out their previous deals at relatively team-friendly prices, the front office backed up the Brinks trucks for Barmore and paid him like one of the top defensive tackles in the game.

Top guys like Chris Jones, Christian Wilkins, Justin Madubuike, and Derrick Brown have all signed massive deals this offseason, and now Barmore joins them towards the top of the list of highest paid interior defensive lineman. His average yearly salary of $23 million is tied with DeForest Buckner (who also recently signed a new deal) for the seventh highest figure at the position in the league. In addition to that, a whopping $41.8 million in this deal is guaranteed, so it’s safe to say that Barmore got paid with this new extension.

Via Jeremy Fowler:

“Christian Barmore’s new deal with the Patriots is worth $41.8 million in guarantees, per source. Patriots had been working on it for a while, now it’s done.”

With Drake Maye and the rest of the 2024 NFL Draft class on board, the Patriots are a franchise filled with hope heading into the upcoming campaign, and that hope only gets fueled further when the team extends their best players. Barmore seems to have only cracked the surface of his potential, and this deal ensures that he will be leading New England’s defensive line for years to come.

Patriots send clear message to Tom Brady

Tom Brady could compete for the Patriots.

Sep 10, 2023; Foxborough, Massachusetts, USA; New England Patriots former quarterback Tom Brady runs on the field during a halftime ceremony in his honor during the game between the Philadelphia Eagles and New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brian Fluharty-USA TODAY Sports

Legendary NFL quarterback Tom Brady retired from the NFL last year and did not play for any team during the 2023 NFL season. But even though he hasn’t played in a game in well over a year, he has not ruled out the possibility of returning this upcoming season. While New England Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo doesn’t exactly expect that to happen, it sounds like he certainly wouldn’t turn him down, either.

During a recent interview with WEEI, Jerod Mayo said that if Tom Brady wanted to, he could come in and compete, but he made it very clear that he does not expect that to happen.

“I love Tom, and the door is always open if he wants to come in here and coach,” Mayo said Monday morning on WEEI. “But as far as going on the field, I don’t know. But if he comes in here, once again, going back to the ‘hey, the best player will play,’ you’ve gotta come in here in compete, and he loves competition. I doubt he’s gonna be walking through these doors any time soon.”

Brady recently said that he would “not be opposed” to the possibility of returning to play for a playoff contender this season. However, he is currently preparing for his first season as a broadcaster with Fox and is set to become a minority owner of the Las Vegas Raiders. So it does not seem likely that he’ll come out of retirement.