For the Patriots, the dual deals the team pulled off on Tuesday, a week ahead of the NFL’s trade deadline, were months in the making. It was clear that the team was not going to make significant use of safety Kyle Dugger, but only wanted to find a way to get off of his future money, and that Keion White‘s straight-ahead style of pass rushing didn’t fit the defense, either.
And so both were moved for minimal future value, both bringing back sixth-round picks with seventh-rounders going out–but more on those details in a bit.
On Wednesday, coach Mike Vrabel addressed for the first time the departure of two players who had, as recently as a year ago, been starters and stalwarts for the Patriots defense.
Mike Vrabel: Trades Were ‘The Right Thing to Do’
Speaking at his press conference, Vrabel was eager to not throw either Dugger or White under the proverbial bus, but wanted to move ahead to the Falcons.
Asked about White, Vrabel said, “I think that with just the timing of everything and where we’re at as a team, we felt like it was the right thing to do. We’ve got a lot of guys in that room, and we just felt like at this particular time, to make those moves that we made with him and Kyle [Dugger].
“Really going to make our focus here against the Falcons, a team that we don’t know much about, haven’t played in four or five years. So, we wish Keion the best, wish Kyle the best, appreciate their professionalism and added some other guys here to the roster, too.”
GettyKyle Dugger of the New England Patriots.
Patriots Save Money, May Save Pick in Trades
As for the details of the deal, one of the big aspects for the Patriots was to get out of owing future money to Dugger, which they accomplished because of the structure of the trade. Dugger was in the second year of the four-year, $58 million contract he signed last season, and the Patriots agreed to pay the remainder of his 2025 salary ($5.4 million), while the final two years of his contract were voided.
In the White trade, the seventh-rounder that the Patriots are scheduled to send to San Francisco is conditional. New England can hold onto that pick if White stays healthy and keeps playing this season.
“The 7th-round pick going back to San Francisco is conditional: If Keion White is active for 7 games, New England keeps its 7th and then would own 11 picks. Building for now and the future,” Tom Pelissero of NFL Network wrote on X.
Patriots Happy to Give Marcus Jones Big New Deal
The other major transaction on what was a busy Tuesday was the signing of cornerback/return man Marcus Jones to a $36 million extension.
“It’s something that we’ve talked about and wanted to – I think he embodies everything that we’re looking for here in a player, in a teammate, on the field, in the community,” Vrabel said. “It’s something that we were excited about doing and glad that he wanted to get that done and be with us moving forward.”
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