The New England Patriots have secured the services of one of their most important defensive players for the long term.

After placing the transition tag on safety Kyle Dugger earlier this offseason, the Patriots have agreed to a four-year deal with the 2020 second-round pick, per NFL Media’s Mike Garafolo and Eric Edholm.

Per NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport, the deal is worth a base value of $58 million with a maximum value of $66 million. Dugger will receive $32.5 million in guaranteed money.

The transition tag would have paid Dugger $13.815 million. Dugger’s new deal has an average annual value of $14.5 million, the eighth-highest in the NFL among safeties.

Yet that still represents excellent value for money given Dugger’s importance to the New England defense and the varied role he plays.

Dugger played 371 snaps at free safety, 478 snaps in the box and 168 in the slot in 2023.

While he endured something of a drop-off in coverage last season, Dugger still had two interceptions and seven pass breakups and continued to demonstrate significant prowess as a pass rusher and run defender.

He had 15 pressures, third among safeties, and was tied ninth in Pro Football Focus pass rush win rate (15.4%) for safeties with at least 10 pass rush snaps. Dugger had 109 total tackles including six for a loss. Per Sports Info Solutions, as a run defender Dugger had a positive play rate allowed of 33.9%, second among safeties with at least 50 tackles behind Jessie Bates of the Atlanta Falcons.

In other words, Dugger is an ultra versatile chess piece who continues to have a wide-ranging impact, affecting the game in a variety of ways.

At 28, this is likely to be Dugger’s last big contract, and it is one that will see the Patriots get his prime years at a sticker price well below the likes of Derwin James, Minkah Fitzpatrick and Antoine Winfield Jr.

Dugger may be viewed as a level below that trio in the conversation about the best safeties in the game, but his influence on a New England defense that shone even in a dismal 2023 campaign cannot be understated. In that sense, getting a cornerstone of their rebuild under Jerod Mayo on a contract well below the top of the market is an astute bit of business by the Patriots.