FOXBOROUGH, Mass - The 2024 season was a rough one for New England Patriots safety Kyle Dugger.
But, he's ready to put it all in the past and focus on this new chapter.
“I’m really looking forward to this upcoming season,” Dugger told reporters on Tuesday. “I’m not really looking back to last year. Kind of put it in the back of my mind and really just looking forward to moving on
Dugger, who had been dealing with an ankle injury for much of the season, underwent surgery soon after the team's final game. And when asked on Tuesday if his ankle is 100%, he didn't want to give too much away.
"It's doing well," he simply responded.
Dugger is locked down for a while, having signed a four–year, $58 million contract extension in April 2024. And he's also one of the longest tenured players on the roster following all the major offseason moves.
So, because of that, he's certainly getting some comments from the others in the locker room.
“Yeah, they’ve been telling me,” he detailed. “It happened fast, I would say. It’s been…from my rookie year to now, it’s been a flash. It’s really good."
"It makes me feel good, just to be with the organization for that long," he added. "It just lets me know that as a leader, my role, just kind of setting things, being here with the organization, it’s important.”
So, does that change anything for him?
“It don’t change much for me,” Dugger added. “It don’t really change much for me at all. I still have a job and a standard to uphold. Learning this (defense), I have to really be open and make sure (I’m) aware and locked in on everything.
From the sounds of it, Dugger is ready to get going and start fresh during the 2025 season.
