New England Patriots splash out $66million on new four-year contract for safety Kyle Dugger

The New England Patriots have spent $66 million to re-sign safety Kyle Dugger to a new four-year contract as the team begins to rebuild following the surprising departure of Bill Belichick.

The new deal is worth a base salary of $58 million, which includes $32.5 million in guarantees, and has a maximum value of $66 million, according to NFL Network. Its average annual value is 14.5 million dollars.

Dugger started all 17 games last season and led the Patriots with 71 solo tackles and two interceptions.

The 28-year-old has totaled nine interceptions and 343 combined tackles over the past four seasons since being drafted in the second round out of Lenoir-Rhyne in 2020.

What’s more, Dugger became the first Patriots defender since 1970 to score three touchdowns in a season in 2022.

The Patriots originally used the one-year transition tag on Dugger. They had until July 17 to reach a long-term deal with him, or he would have earned the average of the 10 highest salaries at his position next season, which would have been around $14 million.

Instead, the Patriots will not only keep one of their biggest offseason priorities in the new roster, but they have secured it for multiple reasons as new head coach Jerod Mayo leads New England’s rebuild.

Patriots rookie head coach and director of scouting Eliot Wolf (also the team’s de facto general manager) wants to work to establish a culture that, in part, they say, seeks to reward local players recruited and developed by the team. .

New England’s voluntary offseason program will begin this week.

Belichick, who coached the Patriots for nearly a quarter-century (24 seasons), was a fan of Dugger’s versatility, and while the player’s most ideal fit is closer to the line of scrimmage in a multiple scheme, the Former New England head coach did not hesitate to deploy him in the deepest part of the field last season, as a complement to veteran safety Jabrill Peppers.