Locked On Patriots - Daily Podcast On The New England Patriots - New England Patriots: Pats Sign WR K.J. Osborn, Christian Barmore Extension Next? - SPECIAL EDITION

Starting point is 00:00:00 The New England Patriots have added a much-needed playmaker to their core of pass catchers, but now is the time to take care of one of their top defenders. Stick around, you're about to be locked into this special edition of the Locked On Patriots Podcast. You are Locked On Patriots, your daily New England Patriots podcast. Part of the Locked On Podcast Network, your team every day. Hello to all of you, Foxborough faithful, and thank you once again for joining us here today on Locked on Patriots, a proud part of the Locked on Podcast Network, your team every day.

Starting point is 00:00:57 I am your host, Mike DeBate. I cover your New England Patriots for Patriots Country of Sports Illustrated. So reach out to me and let me know what's on your mind on X at M-D-A-B-A-T-E-N-F-L. While you're out there showing some love to Locked On Patriots social media style, please be sure to follow our account there as well at L-O underscore Patriots. And today's special edition episode is brought to you by GameTime. Download the GameTime app, create an account, and use the code LOCKEDON for $20 off your first purchase. And Pats fans, thank you for spending a portion of your Monday here with us on Locked On Patriots. Once again, Mock Draft Monday not going anywhere.

Starting point is 00:01:32 We will be available on Monday evening. But a couple of moves over the weekend that the New England Patriots made were definitely worth an update. And though I'm in transit today, I wanted to bring you the very latest on the patriots new wide receiver in what was reported by espn's mike reese on sunday that the new england patriots may be ready to begin contract extension negotiations with christian barmore i love both of these moves for different reasons obviously and we'll start with the addition of a pass catcher and the patriots are adding some veteran savvy with a good amount of playmaking ability to their core of receivers for the upcoming season. NFL Network was the first to report on Sunday afternoon that the Patriots are signing former Minnesota Vikings receiver KJ

Starting point is 00:02:15 Osborne to a one-year deal. Now as of Monday morning that deal is said to be worth four million dollars with a chance to be worth up to $6 million. And let's be clear, Pats fans, Osborne is not an immediate needle mover. He's not the type of receiver you would be getting if the Patriots brought in Calvin Ridley, but he is someone who's going to come in here and help the Patriots receiving presence on the perimeter. And that's an area where they struggled a lot last year. Some of it was because of the quarterback, but some of it was because of a lack of talent at the receiver position. Patriots are hoping to increase that this year.

Starting point is 00:02:52 And Osborne comes in with a very good resume. After a standout final collegiate season with the University of Miami in 2019, Osborne was the fifth-round pick by the Vikings in the 2020 NFL draft. He went number 176 overall. And even though he redshirted his first season in the NFL, still finished the 2021 season with 655 receiving yards, seven touchdowns. Both of those were third most on the Vikings behind only Justin Jefferson and Adam Phelan. So you know this kid right away caught the eye of the Vikings coaching staff. His best season arguably came in 2022. He followed up that 2021 campaign with a 60 catch,

Starting point is 00:03:33 650 yard season, and he earned five receiving touchdowns. And this is where he really, I think, demonstrated an ability to be a notable playmaker along the perimeter. Go back to the Vikings week 15 matchup against the Indianapolis Colts. Osborne finished with 157 receiving yards and a touchdown on 10 catches. That's a game in which the Vikings were trailing by 33 points. They came back to win that game 39 to 36. They did it in overtime, the largest comeback in NFL history, and K.J. Osborne was a huge part of that, folks. He stepped up and made plays when the Vikings needed him to. Whether we see a game like that from him here in a Patriots uniform is still a matter of conjecture, but it proves that he can do it when the lights are brightest and the pressure is high. Just three weeks later,

Starting point is 00:04:22 during Week 18, Osborne had the second 100-yard game of his career in the season finale against the Chicago Bears. He finished that game with 117 receiving yards on five receptions, and then last season, Osborne followed up his third true season in the NFL, catching 48 passes for 540 yards and three touchdowns. Once again, folks, I like this move, and I think Patriots fans are really going to like what they see. He's adequately sized for the position, 5'11", 203 pounds. He's got adequate speed, ran the 40 in 4.48 back in 2020, but again, this kid is a sure-handed pass catcher, and I think he's a solid addition to the Patriots receiving core I know there are a lot of you out there that are still disappointed by the fact that the Patriots didn't pull into Calvin

Starting point is 00:05:09 Ridley they didn't trade for Keenan Allen the Patriots don't seem to be on the list of teams that Mike Williams is going to visit in the coming days so I understand Patriots fans want their receiver and right now they simply haven't got it KJ Osborne is not going to be that top of the heap receiver that you were looking for but if you're looking for a guy that's going to come in work hard each and every day be a reliable target and someone that can make plays for you when he needs to this is going to be a signing I believe that you'll like and ultimately he's going to join what I think is still a talented group of pass catchers. A lot of potential here, folks. Maybe we haven't seen the prowess on the field from everyone just yet,

Starting point is 00:05:49 but when you look at the names like Kendrick Bourne, Demario Douglas, Tyquan Thornton, Keyshawn Butte, Jalen Rager, a lot of potential upside there. There are a lot of individual skill sets there that if they hit on the field, they really could be fun to watch. And, of course, the wild card throughout all this is Juju Smith-Schuster, kind of the elder statesman in that group right now. Does he remain in New England? Do the Patriots try to trade him, or do they outright release him?

Starting point is 00:06:16 A lot of questions still to be had with the Patriots receiving core, and we're going to continue to monitor those right here on the Locked On Patriots podcast each and every day. But what are your thoughts on KJ Osborne? Is it a needle mover in your estimation? Is this a run-of-the-mill signing? Or are you disappointed? Did you want more from the Patriots?

Starting point is 00:06:36 Drop us a line in the comments section below. We would love to hear what you have to think. But it's time for the Patriots now to move into the second wave of free agency. And sometimes that second wave doesn't include a whole lot of external free agents. Sometimes it consists of looking inward and maybe making a signing or two that helps shore up your future. Over the weekend, ESPN's Mike Reese said that the Patriots were looking to extend both Matthew Judon and Christian Barmore. I love the idea of extending them both, but I wrote a little bit about Barmore last week for Sports Illustrated.

Starting point is 00:07:10 And in light of Mike's great reporting on Sunday, I wanted to share with you my thoughts on what it means for the Patriots to keep Barmore in the fold for a long time. When we return on this special abbreviated edition of the Locked On Patriots podcast, I'll share my thoughts on Christian Barmore and why the time is right to get this done sooner rather than later. Talking Christian Barmore as the centerpiece of free agency second wave when this episode of the Locked On Patriots podcast continues, a proud part of the Locked On Podcast Network, your team, every day. Did you know that even if you have a 401k for retirement, you can still have an IRA?

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Starting point is 00:08:48 Must keep Robinhood IRA for five years. The 3% matching on transfers is subject to specific terms and conditions. Robinhood IRA available to U.S. customers in good standing. Robinhood Financial LLC member SIPC is a registered broker-dealer. Lockdown listeners, we've all been there. You want tickets to the big game or your favorite musical artist, and you just can't find an easy and affordable way to get them? Well, you shouldn't have to worry when you're buying tickets to your next big event because game time is the fast and easy way to buy tickets for all of the sports music comedy and theater events near you and here's the part

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Starting point is 00:10:59 On March 20th at 7 p.m. Eastern, be the first to get local insight from the MLB local experts of the Locked On Podcast Network. Find it on March 20th at 7 p.m. Eastern on the Locked On Sports Today 24-7 streaming channel on YouTube or the free Amazon Fire TV channels app. And Patriots fans, as I said in the previous segment, as the first wave of NFL free agency completes its crash against those massachusetts shores i know folks you know i love to wax poetically about my home

Starting point is 00:11:31 region but in any case the patriots now need to turn their attention to the second phase of roster building for the upcoming season in total the patriots so far have retained the services of 10 players who are on their 2023 roster. They've signed eight external free agents, including KJ Osborne that we talked about in the previous segment. Now, don't forget the Patriots also placed the transition tag on Kyle Duggar. The expectation is that they're going to keep him in New England for the long haul. So once again, folks continue to keep a sharp eye on that, but there are still plenty of

Starting point is 00:12:04 moves to be made. The question of which step the Patriots are going to take next is still a matter of conjecture. Now, let's not forget that according to the accurate calculations of my good friend, our good friend here on Locked On Patriots, Miguel the Pats, Cap Benzón, Patriots have just north of $51 million in remaining available cap space. At this time, it might be the perfect time to consider extending the contract of one of their top defenders. And according to ESPN's Mike Reese on Sunday, the New England Patriots are entertaining

Starting point is 00:12:35 the idea of extending the contracts of both Matthew Judon and Christian Barmore. And this brought a little bit of a smile to my face because last week, I wrote an article for Sports Illustrated detailing that it was indeed time for the Patriots to consider a contract extension for Barmore. All the pieces are in place, now's the time to get the job done. So hearing that the Patriots are in fact considering that is definitely a good thing for your New England Patriots. Because let's face it, Barmore is a potential free agent at the conclusion of the 2025 season. You don't want a defensive tackle of his caliber hitting the open market, especially after seeing all those big contracts signed by defensive tackles this offseason.

Starting point is 00:13:19 And look, Barmore can control his destiny. This kid absolutely stepped, this guy absolutely stepped it up in 2023 and moved into the prowess that we all saw when he was taken in the second round at number 38 overall in 2021. You want to talk the timing being right? He's earned it. He set career highs in nearly every statistical category last season. Eight and a half sacks, 16 quarterback hits, 13 tackles for loss, 64 total tackles. He forced a fumble, broke up six passes, all in 17 games. And for the first

Starting point is 00:13:54 time in his career, he enjoyed both good health and notable productivity on the field. We hadn't seen that combination from Christian Barmore. We saw it last year, and in my opinion, we saw one of the top defensive tackles in the league start to come into his own. That prowess was always there in Christian. He turned in a solid rookie season. Then he entered his second year with a lot of expectation to try to keep that going. A knee injury kept him from seeing the field for seven games in 2022, and that led to a statistical dip.

Starting point is 00:14:26 And that was inevitable. If you don't see the field and you're not getting regular reps, your performance is going to suffer. And he finished 2022 logging only 23 tackles, two and a half sacks, and only one pass breakup. But the one thing that kept Christian Barmore going and kept him on the field was his ability to push the pocket and take a stand against the run. That made him one of the team's best defenders. And as long as he had that ability, he was going to continue to see the field. And he showed it last year, and he showed it in a big way. If you're looking for an example of Christian Barmore's prowess,

Starting point is 00:15:01 take a look at Christmas Eve on 2023. Three sacks, forced fumble, week 16 Patriots victory over the Denver Broncos. I know we talk about the Chad Ryland kick and that being the reason for the Patriots victory there. Folks, I guarantee you the reason why the Patriots were victorious in that game is because of Christian Barmore's effort on the defensive side of the ball. He can do it all, and he deserves so much credit for the work that he did all year long, not just in that game. That may have been the highlight reel, but Christian Barmore's entire season was, in my opinion, a work of art.

Starting point is 00:15:37 Christian was a big reason why that Pats defense ranked first in yards per carry with 3.3 and fourth in total run defense with a 93.2 rushing yards per game average. The Patriots may have finished a forgettable 4-13, but it wasn't a forgettable season for Christian Barmore, and that's the reason why it's time to get him signed and get him signed now. When this guy is at his best, he plays with good leverage. He's strong enough to take on the double teams. I'm going to get back to that one in just a moment. And he's got a great eye for the football. He can locate it.

Starting point is 00:16:09 He can identify it quickly, chases it down with great effort. And he has excellent range for a guy of his size. Christian Barmore is a big guy, 6'5", 310 pounds. Not easy to be agile at that size, but I think Christian blends it very, very well. Another thing I love about him is his quick hands. That's made him effective when it comes to stuffing the run and even being a challenge when defending against the pass. Once again, that type of versatility allows him to align in a 4-3 if the Patriots want

Starting point is 00:16:38 to align in a 4-3 defensive set, or if he needs to be a left side defender in their typical 3-4 front, he can do that as well. And I just mentioned the double team a couple of moments ago, and here's where that comes into play. As the Patriots prepare to start this season, it looks like they're going to have a healthy Christian Barmore and a healthy Matthew Judon. And if Mike's reporting is to be believed and Mike is the best in the business, I have no doubt that that is indeed the case. The Patriots are trying to lock these guys up long-term. And here's why they're trying to lock these guys up long-term. Barmore and Judon have the chance to recreate some of their productivity from 2021.

Starting point is 00:17:15 And these two guys worked so well together in Barmore's first season and in Judon's first season here in New England. They really made up quite the pass rushing tandem. And it seemed like at one point during that season, at least one or maybe even both were finding their way to the quarterback more often than not. When they're together on the field, they're effective in passing situations. You know the Patriots are going to put these two guys on the field together in order to disrupt the quarterback. Christian Barmore has a way of drawing the attention away

Starting point is 00:17:45 from opposing blockers along the offensive line. Again, he can take on the double team. That leaves Matthew Judon left one-on-one on the edge. And when Matthew Judon is left one-on-one on the edge, he can be a lethal pass rusher, folks. That frees him to pursue the quarterback. If Judon is healthy and ready to start training camp after missing most of last season with the torn bicep you can start that ability you can

Starting point is 00:18:12 coach that ability again and Demarcus Covington is going to have a lot of fun bringing these guys back into that 2021 mold and watching both Matthew Judon and Christian Barmore be a force in that front seven. So it doesn't surprise me that the Patriots would also like to lock up Judon long term because these guys being together can really be a special thing for this defense, which was already good in 2023. I think this defense may even have a chance to be better in 2024. That's good news for the Patriots, who are going to be going through a lot of offensive growing pains and need a solid defense and Christian Barmore and Matthew Judon is the way to do it. Ultimately folks it's going to come down to money. It always does and in 2024 Christian is

Starting point is 00:18:57 set to earn a base salary of 1.82 million while carrying a cap hit of 2.71 million. There's also going to be a dead cap value in that contract of $889,499. Again, a tip of the cap to our good friend, the Pats cap, who always provides us with the financials we need here on Locked On Patriots. Now, Barmore's 2025 market value is probably going to fall short of some of the monster contracts that we saw earlier this season. And by monster contracts, I'm talking about the one that was handed to Christian Wilkins by the Las Vegas Raiders. Four years, $110 million, $84.5 million of that is guaranteed. Christian Barmore's market value is probably not going to reach that level. But if I'm the New England

Starting point is 00:19:42 Patriots here, I'm not tempting fate. I'm not taking any chances. If Christian comes out this year and has another standout season, dare I say even better than what he put out in 2023, his value on the open market is going to skyrocket. And if that happens, the Patriots may soon find him priced out of their range. That's why I think this is the perfect time to do it. In my final analysis, that's why there is no time like the present for New England to retain Barmore's services. That's going to wisely set him up as their defensive cornerstone for many seasons to come. Folks, the timing is right. The Patriots clearly have the money. Whether you worry about the cap

Starting point is 00:20:21 hits and the implications coming this season or even next season, and there will some implication to this season folks don't forget if barmore is signing an extension it's probably going to increase his value for this year so the time to do it is when you have the money and the patriots clearly have that right now their next offseason step in my opinion needs to be clear lock down christian barmore and while you're at it, make sure to secure the services of Matthew Judon. These two guys at the front of your defense are too important to let either one of them walk out the door. And Pats fans, if it means that the Pats are going to be taking care of their own or taking care of some internal business,

Starting point is 00:21:00 that means their external business may be done through the 2024 NFL Draft. And don't forget, Mock Draft Monday will return here with myself and Thomas Murphy, That means their external business may be done through the 2024 NFL draft. And don't forget, Mock Draft Monday will return here with myself and Thomas Murphy, and we will be breaking down your great mock drafts. So make sure to keep them coming in and make sure to download, subscribe to, and follow Locked On Patriots wherever you get your podcasts. Once again, I'm Mike DeBake. Thank you for joining me here today on this special abbreviated version of Locked On Patriots. And don't forget, we'll see you next here on Mock Draft Monday, right here on the Locked On Patriots podcast.

Locked On Patriots - Daily Podcast On The New England Patriots - New England Patriots: Pats Sign WR K.J. Osborn, Christian Barmore Extension Next? - SPECIAL EDITION

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