With their 2024 training camp getting started, the New England Patriots announced Christian Barmore had been diagnosed with blood clots. The former Alabama standout did not practice again with his teammates until Nov. 14 and missed the first 10 games of the season.
But on Nov. 17, Barmore returned to the field by playing 21 defensive snaps in the Patriots’ 28-22 loss to the Los Angeles Rams. Then after Barmore played in four games and reached 36 snaps in a 30-17 loss to the Arizona Cardinals on Dec. 15, New England placed him on reserve/non-football injury because of “recurring symptoms that required further evaluation” related to the ailment.
“It was really hard, man,” Barmore said on Thursday. “That was one of the hardest times for me, really, because I wanted to be out there. I wanted to support my brothers. I feel like I did everything in my power, just wanted to come back … because, like, how much I care about this team, how much I care about my brothers. I want to do everything in my power to come back, but I was not ready to come back, and I put my faith in God and just keep on, listen to the medical team and just keep doing what I got to do.”
This year, though, Barmore said he’s “feeling really good, man, really blessed.”
“Really just enjoying the game that I love again,” Barmore said, “just not worrying about stuff that was holding me back from, you know, last year and stuff, and really just enjoying and blessed to be playing the game. Just feeling better, keep getting better, feeling good, more confidence in myself back to my breathing. So it’s just like I’m just feeling really good, you know, talking my smack. Yeah, all that.”
Despite the start-and-stop disappointment of the 2024 season, Barmore said he has full confidence that he will be ready to play when the Patriots’ season starts on Sept. 7 against the Las Vegas Raiders.
“I’ll say I was really confusing, anger and just really like mind-blowing,” Barmore said, “because like I was putting a lot of work here that time. It’s like all that work, I put it in for nothing, it feels like. It’s like because I was doing everything I can just to come back for this team last year, and it’s just like I don’t ever want to ever be in that situation again or anybody in the world to go through that because like that stuff was not no joke.”
Barmore joined New England from Alabama’s 2020 undefeated CFP national-championship team in the second round of the 2021 NFL Draft. After playing in every game as a rookie, Barmore played in 10 in 2022 because of injuries.
In 2023, Barmore reached career highs with 64 tackles, 8.5 sacks, 13 tackles for loss, 16 quarterback hits and six pass breakups. After that season, New England signed Barmore to a four-year, $83 million contract extension.
“Last year really hit me because like I’m using that as motivation and anger,” Barmore said, “because it’s making me work even harder because that situation was, like, I could have lost a lot and literally all the work I put in could have been taken away, and I would’ve been really hurt. So I can never take things for granted and just keep on working even harder and just, you know, keep doing what God planned.”
This offseason, the Patriots signed free agent defensive tackle Milton Williams from the Philadelphia Eagles to a four-year, $104 million contract. Barmore said Williams is helping keep him in the grind.
“My guy, my boy,” Barmore said. “Whoever, like, would be here first, first one in the weight room. Who the first one in the meeting room? We’re always going at it. My guy, you know, he make me work hard, man, and he’s a hell of a worker, hell of a guy, hell of a player.”
In Barmore’s rookie season, New England went to the playoffs. But the Patriots have missed the postseason for three straight years and won four games in each of the past two seasons.
Barmore is counting on that direction to change under new coach Mike Vrabel in 2025.
“We got some hungry dogs, literally,” Barmore said, “and it’s just, like, I’m really excited. It’s just like how’s it, like, really looking? I look at them, the team, all the time. Like, yeah, it’s going to be, it’s going to be a dog, it’s going to be good. I just feel it.”
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Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on X at@AMarkG1.