The New England Patriots' trend of taking care of their own this year will continue.
The Patriots are paying Christian Barmore's full salary for the 2024 season despite the star defensive tackle beginning the campaign on the Non-Football Injury List, NFL Media's Ian Rapoport reported Tuesday.
Teams aren't required to pay players while they're on NFI, but the Patriots are doing so with Barmore, who was diagnosed with blood clots in late July and has no timetable for a return.
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The 25-year-old defensive tackle is set to make just $1.8 million in base salary this season with a $6.3 million cap hit, so New England isn't exactly breaking the bank by paying his full salary. Still, it's a nice gesture by the team to ensure Barmore's 2024 salary while he deals with a scary medical situation.
Barmore will be well-compensated beyond the 2024 season, as he recently agreed to a four-year, $83 million contract extension with New England that begins in 2025. He's one of several Patriots veterans to agree to extensions with the team this offseason, as executive vice president of player personnel Eliot Wolf prioritized retaining the team's talent and preventing them from hitting free agency.
Barmore's absence will be felt on a Patriots defense that also lost star pass rusher Matthew Judon via trade to the Atlanta Falcons. Defensive tackles Davon Godchaux (who also inked an extension this offseason) and Jeremiah Pharms Jr. will be tasked to pick up the slack for as long as Barmore is sidelined.
The Patriots kick off the 2024 campaign in Cincinnati against the Bengals on Sunday at 1 p.m. ET.
