The New England Patriots are gearing up for a new era in the organization, but they will most probably be without one of their best and highest-paid defensive players for the entire year.
The team thought that star defensive lineman Christian Barmore would make it back to the field this season, but now they are preparing for him to be out all year long.
New England Patriots Will Lose Christian Barmore For The Season
The team announced that they are solely focused on Bramore’s well-being while he tries to work back to the field, but they are preparing for him to be out for the entirety of the season:
The team said its “principal concern at this time is Christian’s health and wellbeing” while noting there is no timetable for his return.
“We know Christian is getting tremendous care and we look forward to his full recovery,” the team said in its statement.
Barmore is dealing with blood clotting, which has caused very lengthy absences from other players around the league, including the teams’ center David Andrews who missed the entire season due to that injury.
As mentioned earlier, Barmore is the highest-paid player for the team after signing a massive extension in the offseason; a four-year deal worth up to $92 million.
The team is doing something special with Barmore, as while they are prepared to miss him for the entire 2024 season, they will still be paying him his full contact while he is out.
New England Patriots Will Still Pay Christian Barmore
The team will pay his full salary for this season according to Ian Rapoport:
The #Patriots will do right by star DL Christian Barmore: Sources say they will pay his full salary for 2024, despite him being on the Non-Football Injury List.
Teams are not required to pay players on NFI. New England will, as Barmore works his way back. pic.twitter.com/X4UoWnWHSz
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) September 3, 2024
As Rapoport explained, a team is not required to pay the full salary of a player on the NFI list but the team is going to do it anyway. This is a classy move from the team and something they may not have done in the previous era. This may help in bringing in future players as well, as it is a real show of good faith.
The team has not yet given a timetable for Barmore’s return and while they have opened the possibility for him to return this year, they are preparing for him to be out for the season. Head coach Jerod Mayo explained this:
“That was just leaving open the possibility,” Mayo said last week. “Once again, look, we want Barmore to be healthy, and when he’s healthy, he’ll be out there.”
Barmore had a breakout year last season which led to the massive extension. His blot clotting diagnosis came during training camp and has been working to get back to the field since.
We hope he can have a complete recovery and get back to the field as soon as possible.
Related: 2024 NFL Prediction for New England Patriots Won’t Please Fans
