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

The New England Patriots have splashed out $66million to re-sign safety Kyle Dugger to a new four-year contract, as the team begins to rebuild after Bill Belichick's shock exit.

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

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 is that Dugger became the first Patriots defender since 1970 to score three touchdowns in a season in 2022. 

The Pats' re-signed Kyle Dugger to a new deal after using their one-year transition tag on him

The 28-year-old safety was omnipresent for Bill Belichick last season, starting all 17 Pats games

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 made the average of the top 10 salaries at his position next season, which would have been around $14M.

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

The rookie head coach and Patriots director of scouting Eliot Wolf (also the team's de facto GM) want to work toward establishing a culture that in part, they say, looks to reward homegrown players drafted and developed by the team. 

New England's voluntary offseason program is set to start this week. 

Belichick, who coached the Patriots for nearly a quarter of a 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, New England's former head coach didn't hesitate to deploy him to the deep part of the field last season, as a completement to veteran safety Jabrill Peppers.