The New England Patriots and safety Kyle Dugger agreed to a four-year, $58 million contract extension on Sunday, according to sources. Dugger will get the long-term deal he desired after having the transition tag placed on him this offseason. The contract is worth up to $66 million and contains $32.5 million in guaranteed money. The 28-year-old former second-round pick in 2020 out of Lenoir-Rhyne had a career-high 109 tackles (71 solo), 1.5 sacks, six tackles for loss, five QB hits, two interceptions, seven passes defended and a forced fumble in 17 starts last year in his fourth season in the NFL with the Patriots. Coming off the best season of his career, Dugger will be in play in IDP fantasy drafts at the defensive back position this fall.

From RotoBaller

Veteran safety Cody Davis is retiring from the NFL, according to his X account on Thursday. Davis originally went undrafted out of Texas Tech in 2013, but he was signed by the St. Louis Rams as a free agent and spent five years with the organization. He then played two seasons with the Jacksonville Jaguars before four years with the New England Patriots. Overall, the 34-year-old compiled 117 tackles, two fumble recoveries, two interceptions, and eight passes defended in 144 games over 11 years. He was primarily a special teamer and depth player, so it's not a significant loss for the Patriots heading into 2024.

From RotoBaller

The New England Patriots and former Atlanta Falcons/Los Angeles Chargers safety Jaylinn Hawkins agreed to an undisclosed one-year deal on Thursday, according to a source. Hawkins' deal qualifies for the veteran salary benefit. If he makes the team, he would be paid a base salary based on his credited seasons (four) but count less on the salary cap. The 26-year-old was a former fourth-round pick by the Falcons in 2020 out of California and spent last year with both the Falcons and Chargers, finishing with 14 tackles (six solo) in 16 games (three starts). He will operate as a depth option for New England's secondary in 2024 behind Jabrill Peppers and Kyle Dugger. In his five-year NFL career, Hawkins has 135 tackles (72 solo), half a sack, four interceptions, 10 passes defensed, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery returned for a touchdown in 58 games (25 starts).

The New England Patriots re-signed linebacker Anfernee Jennings to an undisclosed three-year deal on Wednesday, according to sources. This was an expected move after Jennings started 14 games and had 66 tackles for the Patriots in his third year with the team in 2023. In addition to his 66 tackles (49 solo), Jennings had 1.5 sacks, 14 tackles for loss, four QB hits and a fumble recovery. The 26-year-old was New England's third-round pick in 2020 out of Alabama. In his three years in the NFL, he's recorded a total of 113 tackles (74 solo), three sacks, 15 tackles for loss, nine QB hits, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery in 45 games played (21 starts). Jennings will need to continue improving to hold onto a starting role in New England.

From RotoBaller

The New England Patriots are re-signing edge rusher Josh Uche to a one-year, $3 million deal that has $5 million available in incentives. The 2020 second-round pick has shown flashes of upside in his four-year NFL career, but he posted just three sacks in 2023 after an 11.5-sack season in 2022. He'll get at least one more season in New England to try to impress new head coach Jerod Mayo as the organization heads into a rebuild. If the 25-year-old can put it all together, this could be a great value signing for New England.

From RotoBaller

The New England Patriots are signing former Cleveland Browns linebacker Sione Takitaki to an undisclosed deal on Monday, according to a source. Takitaki stands at 6-foot-1 and 238 pounds and is entering his sixth season in the NFL after the Browns took him in the third round in 2019 out of BYU. The 28-year-old linebacker is very well-rounded and was breaking out in 2022 in 12 games before tearing his ACL late in the year. He came back to record 65 tackles (45 solo), a career-high two sacks, and an interception in 15 regular-season games (seven starts) for Cleveland a year ago. Takitaki could have a significant role with the Patriots in 2024, but fantasy managers shouldn't look to him in IDP formats.

From RotoBaller

The New England Patriots are placing the transition tag on safety Kyle Dugger ahead of free agency. The tag allows Dugger to become a free agent, but New England will have the chance to match any offer he receives from another organization. Dugger has racked up 343 tackles, 2.5 sacks, two forced fumbles, nine interceptions, and 17 run stuffs in 61 games since being selected in the second round of the 2020 NFL Draft. He's a starting-caliber safety, so he could have a robust market when teams can begin negotiating with players on March 11.

From RotoBaller

The New England Patriots already released cornerback J.C. Jackson this offseason in a cost-cutting move, and The Athletic's Chad Graff writes that center David Andrews is the next best bet as a salary cap casualty this year. Andrews was still an above-average center last year, but he'll be 32 this season and is projected to have the team's sixth-highest cap hit of $8.4 million. He's one of the most senior members of the team and is a respected voice in the locker room, but it's a new era in New England with the Pats moving on from head coach Bill Belichick, who had been in charge for the last 24 seasons. Andrews started all 17 games for New England last year, which was his eighth year with the organization.

From RotoBaller

The New England Patriots are releasing veteran cornerback J.C. Jackson ahead of free agency. The move clears $14 million in cap with no dead money. Jackson spent the first four seasons of his NFL career as a Patriot before signing a five-year, $82.5 million contract with the Los Angeles Chargers ahead of the 2022 campaign. He played in just two games for the Chargers in 2023 and was traded back to the Patriots for a late-round draft pick. Unfortunately, he continued to struggle, and now his NFL career is uncertain. The 28-year-old has 26 interceptions in 77 career games.

From RotoBaller

CBS Sports' Jonathan Jones is reporting on Friday that the 2024 NFL salary cap has been set at a record-breaking $255.4 million, according to sources. It is up more than $30 million from last year's cap number of $224.8 million and is well beyond all the recent estimates. On top of the record salary cap, there will be an additional $74 million per club payment for player benefits, which includes performance-based pay and benefits for retired players. Total 2024 player costs will be $329.4 million per team, more than $10.5 billion league-wide. The huge leap in the cap is partially the result of the full repayment of all amounts of advanced by the teams and deferred by the players during the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as significant new media deals coinciding with recent regular-season and playoff expansion.

From RotoBaller

The New England Patriots released veteran safety Adrian Phillips on Monday, according to a source. The Patriots are getting younger on defense after releasing both Phillips and defensive lineman Lawrence Guy at the start of the post-Bill Belichick era. The 31-year-old Phillips was heading into the final year of his four-year, $12.75 million deal. New England will save $3 million in salary cap space with the move, leaving behind $1.18 million in dead cap space. Phillips, a former undrafted free agent, never missed a game in his four seasons with the Patriots but was demoted to a backup role in 2023, ultimately finishing with only 17 tackles (10 solo) in just one start.

The New England Patriots released veteran starting defensive lineman Lawrence Guy on Monday, according to a source. The Patriots are releasing the two-time Walter Payton Man of the Year early so that he can pursue other opportunities before the new league year opens. The 33-year-old should have a strong market in free agency. He was set to make $2 million in the final year of his contract in 2024 with another $1 million in per-game bonuses. The Patriots will save $3 million against the salary cap with the move. Guy leaves New England after seven years with the team, including a Super Bowl championship. The former seventh-round pick by the Green Bay Packers in 2011 out of Arizona State had 38 tackles (16 solo) in 17 games (12 starts) in 2023 in his final year with the Pats.

From RotoBaller

New England Patriots DT Lawrence Guy was released Monday, Feb. 19.

From TheHuddle

New England Patriots LB Matt Judon (biceps) said he has recovered from the biceps injury he suffered during the 2023 season and is ready to return to the field.

From TheHuddle

New England Patriots DL Christian Barmore and LB Ja'Whaun Bentley each posted 10 total stops in Week 18 against the New York Jets. Barmore had six solo tackles with two tackles for loss and a quarterback hit, while Bentley went for three solo stops, a half-sack and two QB hits.

From TheHuddle

New England Patriots OT Trent Brown (illness) did not participate in practice Friday, Jan. 5, and has been ruled out for Week 18. DT Christian Barmore (knee), TE Pharaoh Brown (ribs), CB Myles Bryant (illness), LB Anfernee Jennings (knee), CB Jonathan Jones (knee), S Jalen Mills (ankle), S Jabrill Peppers (hamstring), WR Matthew Slater (hamstring), LB Jahlani Tavai (tooth), WR Tyquan Thornton (ankle) and CB Shaun Wade (hip) were limited during practice and are listed as questionable.

From TheHuddle

New England Patriots OT Trent Brown (illness) did not participate in practice Thursday, Jan. 4. DT Christian Barmore (knee), TE Pharaoh Brown (ribs), CB Myles Bryant (illness), LB Anfernee Jennings (knee), CB Jonathan Jones (knee), S Jabrill Peppers (hamstring), WR Matthew Slater (hamstring), LB Jahlani Tavai (tooth) and CB Shaun Wade (hip) were limited during practice.

From TheHuddle

New England Patriots OT Trent Brown (illness) and CB Myles Bryant (illness) did not participate in practice Wednesday, Jan. 3. DT Christian Barmore (knee), TE Pharaoh Brown (ribs), LB Anfernee Jennings (knee), CB Jonathan Jones (knee), S Jabrill Peppers (hamstring), WR Matthew Slater (hamstring), LB Jahlani Tavai (tooth) and CB Shaun Wade (hip) were limited during practice.

From TheHuddle

The New England Patriots have declared RB JaMycal Hasty, DT Sam Roberts, OT Trent Brown, TE Hunter Henry, WR Kayshon Boutte, SS Jabrill Peppers and QB Nathan Rourke inactive for Week 17.

From TheHuddle

New England Patriots S Jabrill Peppers (hamstring) and WR Kayshon Boutte (illness) were downgraded to out for Week 17 on Saturday, Dec. 30.

From TheHuddle