While the New England Patriots have struggled throughout the past few seasons, there have been a few members on the defense that have truly shined. So since they are entering this new Era in New England, head coach Jerod Mayo put an emphasis on keep two stars.
Matthew Judon and Christian Barmore are at the top of Mayo's list, and according to him, the extension talks have already begun.
Judon is set to be a free agent after the 2025 season, while Barmore's rookie deal ends after this coming season. So when asked, Mayo spoke very highly of the defensive duo.
“One thing with Barmore, he’s one of those players that he’s developed here," Mayo said. "There were some questions coming out of college, obviously, with his potential. He’s done a fantastic job, really, growing up. I think DeMarcus (Covington])and Joe Kim have done a good job really helping develop him. Look, once again, it goes back to ‘we want to keep our own.’ We want to keep our own players. And we have had talks with Barmore and hopefully it works out.”
Barmore truly showed what he was capable during the 2023 season, specifically in the Patriots' Christmas Eve win over the Denver Broncos. He recorded three sacks and two tackles for loss in the victory.
The defensive tackle finished the season with 64 total tackles, 8.5 sacks, one forced fumble, and six passes defended during the 2023 season.
He was crucial for the Patriots after they lost Judon, who was key at bringing down opposing quarterbacks. The linebacker suffered a torn lower bicep in Week 4 and remained sidelined for the rest of the season.
But in the four games prior to the injury, he already had four sacks. And the season prior, he finished with a career-high 15.5 sacks.
"There's no question we want a guy like Judon," Mayo explained. "And going back to keeping our own, when Judon was in Baltimore, he just happened to be this great guy and a great fit, a culture add for us. And we want to keep Judon. We want to keep him, but that’s more of a question for Eliot. But those conversations have started. We know that he’s still a premier rusher in this league. As we continue to go forward, we want him to be a piece of the puzzle."
At the moment, the Patriots currently have around $50 million remaining in cap space. So an extension for these two players is very possible.
Now they just need to get it done.
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