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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 contract has a base value of $58 million and can be worth up to $66 million and includes $32 million guaranteed, the sources said.
Dugger’s new deal has an average annual value of $14.5 million.
He had received the transition tag from the team last month, restricting his free agency. Had he played the 2024 season on the tag, he would have been paid $13.8 million, the average salary of the top 10 players at his position.
Only five NFL players had received the transition tag in the past 10 years, and none were safeties.
The deal comes as the Patriots are set to begin their voluntary offseason program this week, as coach Jerod Mayo and director of scouting Eliot Wolf work to establish a culture they say, in part, looks to reward homegrown 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 has played in 61 regular-season games, with 52 starts. He was the team’s highest draft pick in 2020, at No. 37, after New England traded out of the first round.
Dugger, 28, was an older rookie coming out of Division II Lenoir-Rhyne and quickly proved he belonged in the NFL, in part due to his sure tackling and hard-hitting approach.
In 2023, Dugger totaled a career-high 109 tackles while tying for the team lead with two interceptions. He played 98% of the defensive snaps, more than any defender, which was another reflection of his value to the team.
In 2022, he had become the first Patriots defender since 1970 to score three touchdowns in a season.
Former Patriots coach Bill Belichick appreciated Dugger’s versatility, and while Dugger’s most ideal fit is closer to the line of scrimmage in a multiple scheme, the team didn’t hesitate to play him in the deep part of the field more in 2023 as a complement to veteran safety Jabrill Peppers.
He has 343 tackles and 9 interceptions in his career.