3 Underrated Patriots Who Have Earned Contract Extensions

2. OT Conor McDermott — 2024 Salary: $1,210,000

Conor McDermott's time with the Patriots has been quite the wild ride.

The former UCLA Bruin was signed off the New York Jets practice squad in November 2022 and wound up starting the Pats' final six games that season. His efforts — 11 pressures allowed on 239 pass-block snaps — were good enough to earn him a two-year, $3.6 million extension last offseason.

Unfortunately, McDermott didn't get too many opportunities to showcase what he could do in 2023. He opened the season on the injured reserve with an undisclosed injury and also ended the year on the IR with a head injury. Throw in a brief practice squad stint to the mix and the 31-year-old only wound up playing six games (5 starts).

But even if he didn't see a ton of playing time, McDermott still made the most of his appearances. His 65.9 PFF pass-block grade was his second-highest amount of the last four seasons, allowing 14 pressures on 145 pass-block downs. Furthermore, his 68.0 run-block grade ranked fifth-best among New England's offensive linemen.

It's clear that McDermot is a solid blocker when healthy and would be a solid asset to put in front of the Patriots' next starting quarterback. They've already given him one extension, so don't be shocked if he's already earned himself another one.