Christian Barmore earns unflattering title due to $84 million contract

Feb 8, 2026; Santa Clara, CA, USA; New England Patriots defensive tackle Christian Barmore (90) against the Seattle Seahawks during Super Bowl LX at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

The New England Patriots were probably the most surprising team in the NFL in 2025. 

The team made it all the way to the Super Bowl before ultimately falling to the Seattle Seahawks. Still, that was an amazing accomplishment considering how bad the team was for those years post-Tom Brady. 

The Patriots invested money wisely in several players last offseason. However, a player that got a massive extension in 2024 may not be living up to that number anymore. 

In 2024, defensive lineman Christian Barmore signed a massive four-year, $84 million deal. Barmore earned that extension after racking up 64 tackles and 8.5 sacks in 2023, but he hasn't delivered since. 

As a result, Bleacher Report's Brad Gagnon identified Barmore as the Patriots' most overpaid player. Regarding that distinction, Gagnon offered the following: 

The interior defensive lineman show continues with Barmore, who has lacked both consistency and durability for much of his five-year run thus far in New England. The 26-year-old is a solid piece of the puzzle for the Patriots, but he's yet to live up to a top-20 positional AAV at $20.8 million.

As Gagnon mentioned, Barmore has not been consistent or durable during his time in New England. In 2024, the defender played in just four games with no starts, and in 2025, Barmore played in 17 games with 16 starts, but his production wasn't great. 

Barmore earned a 51.7 grade from Pro Football Focus in 2025, which ranked 92nd out of 134 qualified defensive linemen. The defender has just three sacks over the last two seasons, not getting close to his career-high from 2023. 

If the Patriots were to trade Barmore after June 1, they could save around $13.5 million in cap space. If the team were to cut the veteran after June 1, they would have to eat over $15 million in dead cap. 

It's also entirely possible the Patriots give Barmore one more season. The depth behind him currently isn't great, but the team could still find a reliable option in the 2026 draft. Depending on what happens then could determine whether or not Barmore is still around in 2026. 

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