Patriots sign defensive star to massive contract only Tom Brady can beat

The New England Patriots entered the offseason with a ton of cap space but didn't land a star in free agency. They re-signed players like Michael Onwenu, Hunter Henry, and Kendrick Bourne, but didn't land a big-name external guy, which came as a bit of a surprise.

While they didn't make headlines in free agency, they did replace longtime head coach Bill Belichick with Jerod Mayo and refused to trade down from the No. 3 spot in the NFL Draft and used that pick to select their quarterback of the future, Drake Maye.

New England locked in their quarterback for what they hope will be the next decade or longer, and have now extended a key defensive player, Christian Barmore, as well, to a contract that only Tom Brady can beat. That's saying something.

Only Tom Brady can say he beat the contract Christian Barmore just signed with the Patriots

ESPN's Adam Schefter broke the news that the Patriots were inking Barmore, a former second-round pick from the 2021 NFL Draft, to this massive extension. The terms of the deal were quite hefty, as the Patriots gave the 24-year-old a four-year deal worth up to $92 million according to Schefter.

ESPN's Jeremy Fowler reported that the contract guarantees Barmore $41.8 million.

The Patriots are taking a big swing here with Barmore, paying him as if he's a defensive cornerstone of the future, but they have good reason to do so. After a bit of a lackluster first couple of years in the NFL, Barmore broke out this past season setting career highs with 8.5 sacks, 64 tackles, 13 tackles for loss, and 16 quarterback hits.

Barmore received a PFF ($) grade of 83.8 which was good for eighth-best among interior defenders ahead of guys like DJ Reader, DeForest Buckner, and Justin Madubuike.

Obviously it's tough paying someone off of just one breakout season, but if Barmore plays like this throughout the contract, it'll be more than worth their while.

This was an important move for New England to make as they transition into a new era post-Belichick. The $92 million might be a bit steep, but the guarantees are not. If Barmore continues to progress, he'll wind up being more than worth the gamble they took.