Patriots fans divided over S Kyle Dugger's $66,000,000 deal: "Is he that much?" "Patriots will be good again"

New York Giants v New England Patriots
Kyle Dugger during New York Giants v New England Patriots

New England Patriots safety Kyle Dugger has been a key part of the Patriots' defense for the last four years.

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Dugger was New England's second-round pick in the 2020 NFL Draft and has been an important part of the Patriots' secondary. On Sunday morning, New England recognized Dugger's contributions to their defense by awarding him a new contract.

Dugger and the Patriots agreed to a new four-year deal worth up to $66 million, with $32.5 million guaranteed.

The NFL posted on X:

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"Patriots, S Kyle Dugger agree to a four-year deal worth a base value of $58M and a max of $66M, with $32.5M guaranteed."
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Upon hearing the news of the Patriots extending Dugger for four more seasons with a $60+ million contract, Pats fans were left divided about his contract number.

Some fans thought that the Patriots overpaid for Dugger.

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"Him playing on the one year prove-it deal would’ve been perfect, coming off his career worst szn and he’s already gonna be 27. He’s still overall a solid player but u see way better safeties like Kevin Byard get like 2 years $15 mil, bad business move here," one fan wrote.
"This is a massive overpay," another fan wrote.
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"Underserved payday," one fan simply wrote.

With the new deal, Dugger is now the fourth-highest-paid safety (per year), averaging $16.5 million a year. His total value is the fifth-highest for NFL safeties.

Other fans suggest the Patriots made the right move by extending Dugger for the price that they paid him.

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"Good deal for team and player," another fan wrote.
"He's a solid player coming off of his best season with 109 tackles, 1.5 sacks and 2 interceptions but this is a big pay day based on his impact @Patriots #Patriots #PatriotsUnite #NFL #NFLTwitter #NFLonX," one fan wrote.
"The man deserved it," wrote another fan.

Did Kyle Dugger get overpaid?

Kyle Dugger during New England Patriots vs. New York Jets
Kyle Dugger during New England Patriots vs. New York Jets

Kyle Dugger has been a quality starting safety for the New England Patriots for the last four seasons.

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As a rookie in 2020, he played in 14 games and piled up 64 tackles. The following season in 2021, he had 70 tackles, four interceptions, one forced fumble and five pass deflections. In 2022, he had 78 tackles, one sack, one forced fumble, one fumble recovery, eight pass deflections and three interceptions.

This past season in 2024, he had a career-high 109 tackles, 1.5 sacks, one forced fumble, and two interceptions.

Dugger was never awarded a Pro Bowler or All-Pro during his first four seasons in the NFL. While the Patriots had to pay a significant price to maintain one of their key secondary players, it may be considered an overpay, with Dugger ranking among the top five highest-paid safeties.

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But then again, that's how contracts work in the NFL; it's all about timing.

Do you think Kyler Dugger deserves the extension he got from New England?

New England Patriots Nation! Check out the latest Patriots Schedule and dive into the New England Patriots Depth Chart for NFL Season 2024-25.

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Edited by Krutik Jain
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