There were nibbles when it came to the prospect of the Patriots trading safety Kyle Dugger ahead of Tuesday’s roster cut-down deadline in the NFL. Ultimately, though, there were no bites on a deal.
Now we know why–the Patriots were not willing to absorb enough of Dugger’s salary, which is guaranteed for $9.75 million for the 2025 season. Plenty of teams were interested in making a swap for Dugger but only if New England would absorb a chunk of Dugger’s salary. The Patriots, with $60 million in cap space, could have done so but felt that Dugger’s upside still warrants keeping him around rather than paying for him to play elsewhere.
This from a report by ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler: “The #Patriots got multiple trade offers for safety Kyle Dugger, per source, but his $9.75M guaranteed salary – and how much of it New England would absorb – was a hurdle. For now, he remains on 53-man roster.”
What’s Wrong With Kyle Dugger?
Dugger was a star safety for the Patriots two years ago, but an ankle injury caused him to miss four games. He started 13 games for New England and recorded four passes defensed, a forced fumble and a sack, while also setting a career high in tackles for a loss, with eight.
But when he was on the field, Dugger was not himself as quarterbacks picked him apart and he struggled to tackle. Dugger missed a career-high 13 tackles, and allowed a 137.4 quarterback rating when opponents targeted him. He was, according to Pro Football Focus, rated the third-worst safety in the NFL in 2024, highly unusual for a player of his caliber.
Dugger’s guarantee is lower but he on the books for $15 million this year, the second of a four-year, $54 million contract that ranks among the most expensive on the team.
Patriots Hoping for Return to Form
It’s been clear that Dugger, who underwent tightrope surgery on his ankle in January, was not himself, still, in training camp. If the Patriots were to trade him, they wanted fair value on what a healthy Dugger would be worth, not on the damaged-goods version.
Instead, the Patriots will gamble that Dugger will return to form. He’s been working with the second-team defense, a sign that the Patriots think he still has a way to go.
“Just making sure that he’s where he needs to be and understanding the coverage concepts and everything we do,” coach Mike Vrabel said, via Boston.com. “Keep working and keep progressing. A lot of this is that guys have earned the right to take a look with that first unit and, again, there will be different lineups and different things. Just focus on the reps that you get right now.”
Patriots Kyle Dugger Trade Decision Explained