Safety Kyle Dugger will remain with the New England Patriots after agreeing to a four-year contract worth up to $66 million. The Patriots initially used the transition tag on Dugger this offseason, allowing them to match any offer sheet Dugger would have signed with another team.
The transition tag has seldom been used in the NFL compared to the franchise tag. Before Dugger, running back Kenyan Drake was the last player to receive it when he played for the Arizona Cardinals in 2020.
Patriots, S Kyle Dugger agree to a four-year deal worth a base value of $58M and a max of $66M, with $32.5M guaranteed. (via @mikegarafolo, @rapsheet, @eric_edholm) pic.twitter.com/uB3DdWjCEm
— NFL (@NFL) April 7, 2024
However, he will have four more years in Foxborough to remain with the team that selected him in the second round of the 2020 NFL Draft. Last season, Dugger finished with 109 tackles, five quarterback hits, two interceptions, and 1.5 sacks.
As one of the team’s veterans, Dugger will be a vital figure during Jerod Mayo’s first season as Patriots head coach. He will start the transition from Bill Belichick to Mayo on a contract with a maximum amount of $66 million. However, the contract’s base value of $58 million translates to a $14.5 million annual value, the eighth-highest amount among safeties.
Dugger will get $32.5 million in guaranteed money as he continues his NFL career with the Patriots.
-Lance Fernandez