How Kyle Dugger reportedly feels about Patriots giving him transition tag
The Patriots gave Dugger the $13.8 million transition tag on Tuesday, making it tougher for other teams to possibly sign him.
The Patriots’ decision to give the rarely used transition tag to Kyle Dugger left some confused, but the player seems to feel differently about it.
New England’s decision to give Dugger the transition tag was a “disappointment” to the safety, ESPN’s Mike Reiss wrote in his Sunday notes column. Dugger was hoping to receive a long-term deal as opposed to the one-year tender, Reiss reported.
There are a few notable differences between the transition and franchise tags, but both present obstacles for players to possibly sign a deal with another team. With the transition tag, the Patriots will get the right to match any contract Dugger signs with another team. But unlike the franchise tag, that team won’t have to give up any compensation if the Patriots refuse to match.
While Dugger gets a little more leeway as a free agent with the transition tag, he also gets less guaranteed money. The transition tag for Dugger is set at $13.8 million, which is more than a few million less than what he would’ve received if the Patriots placed the franchise tag on him ($17.1 million).
Prior to giving Dugger the transition tag, Patriots chief roster decision maker Eliot Wolf and head coach Jerod Mayo both stated that they wanted the safety back in New England. Mayo reiterated that sentiment in a statement shortly after the Patriots announced they had given Dugger the transition tag.
“Kyle is a talented player with a strong work ethic who has improved every year and been extremely productive since joining our team in 2020,” Mayo said. “We value players with high character and chose to use the transition designation to give both sides more time to try to reach a long-term agreement, which is our goal with Kyle.”
It’s unknown what Dugger is asking for in his next deal. Pro Football Focus salary cap expert Brad Spielberger projected that he’d get a four-year, $53 million deal with $29 million guaranteed if he’s to come to terms on a long-term deal this offseason.
The Patriots and Dugger have until July to agree to a multi-year contract or else he’ll have to play on the one-year tender or a reworked one-year deal. But the Patriots could feel compelled to pull the transition tag from Dugger if they want to open up more cap room as the $13.8 million tag counts against the cap. A handful of notable safeties (Jordan Poyer, Jamal Adams, Justin Simmons, Quandre Diggs) were also all released this past week, which could impact how much teams might be willing to pay Dugger.
Dugger recorded a career-high 109 combined tackles in 2023, adding two interceptions and a forced fumble.
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