The New England Patriots enter the final stretch before the Nov. 10 trade deadline at 4-3 and second in the AFC East, keeping them firmly in the playoff picture. Defensive tackle Christian Barmore, meanwhile, is playing under the four-year, $84 million extension he signed in 2024. But New England’s competitive start has not kept Barmore’s name out of trade-deadline speculation.

NFL insider Albert Breer reported on Friday in his trade-deadline column for Sports Illustrated that the Patriots could part with the veteran. He pointed to Barmore’s place in New England’s defensive line rotation at a time when “Lots of teams… are looking for defensive line help.”

Where Christian Barmore Fits in the New England Patriots’ Rotation Now

Breer weighed the Patriots’ standing against Barmore’s role in a single line of his team-by-team rundown: “The Patriots are deep in the AFC race, but veteran DT Christian Barmore could be had, having played only 41.9% of the team’s defensive snaps, falling behind Milton Williams and Cory Durden in the team’s rotation.”

Breer did not identify a potential suitor, an asking price, or any active trade discussions involving Barmore, who remained on New England’s active roster as of Friday. Still, his report suggests the Patriots could be willing to listen if another team makes a strong enough offer for the veteran defensive tackle.

Barmore has still made plays in the snaps he has gotten. He has three sacks this season, tied for 34th in the NFL, along with six quarterback hits, three tackles for loss, and a forced fumble.

Pro Football Network’s NFL DT Impact Grade has him at 82.6 for the season so far, tied for 18th of 121 graded defensive tackles.

The Jeffery Simmons Blockbuster Frames the Market Barmore Could Enter

The Barmore note ran in the same column in which Breer detailed how the Tennessee Titans came to trade Jeffery Simmons, whom he called “the NFL’s best interior defensive lineman.” On Thursday, the Titans sent Simmons and a 2028 fifth-round pick to the Chicago Bears for first-round picks in 2027 and 2028 and a 2027 fourth-rounder.

Simmons isn’t the only interior lineman to move before the deadline. The Indianapolis Colts sent DeForest Buckner to the San Francisco 49ers for a 2027 fourth-round pick.

Breer also laid out who is still shopping, writing that “The Giants and Jaguars are sniffing around on defensive tackles—Jacksonville’s looking for pieces for its defensive front in general,” though he didn’t tie either team to Barmore. He added that the Minnesota Vikings have asked around about interior linemen on both sides of the ball.

Barmore also isn’t the only defensive tackle Breer listed as possibly on the move. The column reported that the Colts’ Grover Stewart, who is in a contract year, and the Washington Commanders’ Daron Payne could be available. The Philadelphia Eagles, by contrast, have informed other teams that Moro Ojomo is unavailable.

Any team trading for Barmore would take on the back end of his contract. A 2021 second-round pick out of Alabama, he posted a career-high 8.5 sacks in 2023, the season before he signed the extension. The deal included an $18 million signing bonus, runs through 2028, and carries a $17.1 million cap charge this season.

His full $12 million base salary for 2026 became guaranteed in March after an additional $10 million guarantee was triggered. Neither his $18 million base salary for 2027 nor his $19 million base salary for 2028 is guaranteed, though the deal calls for $20 million and $21 million in total cash over those two seasons.

New England has two games left before the deadline, at the Miami Dolphins on Sunday and at home against the Green Bay Packers on Nov. 8. Once the deadline passes, Barmore and the two unguaranteed years left on his deal can’t be traded until the 2027 league year opens on March 11.