Mike Reiss, ESPN staff writer
The New England Patriots and safety Kyle Dugger have agreed to a four-year extension, sources told ESPN on Sunday.
The starting price of the contract is 58 million dollars and it can cost up to 66 million dollars, with 32 million dollars guaranteed, the sources said.
The average annual value of Duggar’s new deal is $14.5 million.
Last month, he received a transfer label from the group, limiting his free service. He would be paid $13.8 million if he played out the 2024 season on the roster, which is the median salary for the top 10 players at his position.
Only five NFL players have received the transition tag in the last 10 years, and none of them were safeties.
The deal comes as the Patriots begin their voluntary offseason program this week, as coach Jerrod Mayo and director of scouting Elliott Wolff work to establish a culture of rewarding players drafted and developed by the team.
The 6-foot-2, 222-pound Dugger entered the NFL as a 2020 second-round pick of the Patriots and played in 61 regular season games, including 52 starts. He was the team’s highest draft pick in 2020, at No. 37, after New England traded up in the first round.
Dugger, 28, was a veteran rookie coming out of Division II Lenoir-Rhyne who quickly established himself as a member of the NFL, in part because of his sure-footed, grappling approach.
In the year In 2023, Dugger totaled a career-high 109 tackles for a team-leading two interceptions. He played 98% of the defense, more than any defender, which reflects his value to the team.
In the year In 2022, he became the first Patriots quarterback to score three touchdowns in a season since 1970.
Former Patriots coach Bill Belichick praised Duggar’s versatility, and while Duggar’s best performance has been close to the line of scrimmage in multiple programs, the team has not hesitated to play an extra deep part of the field in 2023. Veteran safety Gabriel Pepper.
He has 343 tackles and 9 interceptions in his career.