4 Necessary Patriots Cap Casualty Cuts This Offseason

Coming off a disappointing 4-13 season, the New England Patriots –with the fourth pick in the upcoming NFL Draft and the most cap space in the league– have plenty of resources to improve their roster this offseason. Another way the team can improve under new head coach Mike Vrabel is to cut ties with players whose on-the-field performance does not justify what they are getting paid. These four players fit that bill.

Kyle Dugger, Safety

Coming off of a strong 2023 season, safety Kyle Dugger was rewarded with a 4-year extension worth $58 million. Former Patriots head coach Bill Belichick spoke on Dugger’s performance in the summer of 2023, leading up to the final year of Dugger’s rookie contract:

"Kyle does a great job. He’s big, he can run, can tackle, cover, blitz. Those guys are great. That’s why they go high in the draft. There’s a premium for them, and they get paid a lot of money. That’s what they bring."

- Bill Belichick, former Patriots HC

After signing him to an extension, the team expected Kyle to replicate his 2023 numbers, where he played in all 17 games and recorded 109 tackles while leading the team with two interceptions. In 2024, under new head coach Jerod Mayo, Dugger regressed across the board, only appearing in 13 games while recording 81 tackles with zero interceptions.

Heading into the 2025 season, Dugger –who turns 29 before the season begins– has the second-highest cap number on the team ($15,264,706), and if he is cut after June 1st, the team will save a little over $1 million in cap space per Over The Cap.

Even though Dugger is one of the premier players on the Patriots’ defense, new defensive coordinator Terrell Williams may look to get younger and cheaper at the position and search for a replacement.