The Patriots are extending safety Kyle Dugger’s contract for four more years, according to a source familiar with the situation speaking to The Associated Press on Sunday.
The new contract guarantees a base salary of $58 million, with $32.5 million guaranteed, and could potentially reach $66 million, as reported by NFL Network and confirmed by the AP source who requested anonymity as the terms are not yet official.
Dugger, who started in all 17 games last season, led the Patriots with 71 solo tackles and two interceptions.
Since being drafted in 2020 from Lenoir-Rhyne in the second round, the 28-year-old has tallied nine interceptions and 343 combined tackles in the past four seasons.
Initially, the Patriots applied the one-year transition tag on Dugger. However, they had until July 17 to negotiate a longer contract; otherwise, he would have earned an average salary equivalent to the top 10 players in his position, around $14 million for the next season.
By securing Dugger for multiple seasons, the Patriots address one of their key offseason priorities under the leadership of new head coach Jerod Mayo as they aim to rebuild the team.
