Patriots Make Contract Offer to Top Free Agent Safety?
The New England Patriots have been quite clear in their intent to retain the services of impending free-agent saftey Kyle Dugger.
It became evident on Thursday, through the NFL Scouting Combine grapevine, that New England will do its part to ensure he remains with the team next season, and hopefully beyond.
The Patriots, per MassLive, have not only engaged Dugger in preliminary talks, they also have an offer on the table to keep him in Foxboro.
Photo by Matthew J. Lee/The Boston Globe
News of Dugger’s contract talks progressing fall into line with the recent decree of Patriots director of scouting Eliot Wolf — who advised that the team would be “aggressive” in their efforts to help the team, including attempts to re-sign both Dugger and starting right guard Mike Onwenu.
“We definitely want to keep Mike and Kyle, and we’re hopeful we’ll continue to work with Kyle’s agent and Mike to make that happen,”.
Since joining the team as a second-round (No. 37 overall) draft selection in 2020, Dugger has been one of the team’s most reliable defenders. The 27-year-old led all defensive backs with 109 total tackles, while also compiling seven passes-defensed, two interceptions and 1.5 sacks.
Dugger, a product of Division II Lenoir-Rhyne, brings an excellent blend of speed, length, size to New England’s defensive backfield — both big nickel (five defensive backs) and dime (six defensive backs) defensive packages. At his best, he is able to cover a lot of ground and has the tools to match up with tight ends and backfield receivers in coverage. Dugger is also a good tackler, capable of making stops in key situations.
His on-field prowess combined with his football acumen should help him command several lucrative offers, should he hit the open market.
If New England opts to give Dugger the non-exclusive franchise tag (which would allow him to sign with another team, while giving the Patriots the right to match), he would receive a $17.1 million fully guaranteed salary for 2024. As such, New England could use the year ahead to work out a long-term deal with the safety.
Dugger is set to hit free agency when the new NFL league year starts on March 13 at 4 p.m. ET. However, the NFL’s 31 remaining teams may begin speaking with Dugger’s agents on March 11, when the league’s legal tampering period begins.
