Steelers Make Big Changes To New S Kyle Dugger’s Contract
The Pittsburgh Steelers made big changes to new safety Kyle Dugger’s contract. Acquiring him from the New England Patriots Tuesday night, Dugger is officially a rental who costs the team very little in trade capital or cash and cap. Per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, the Patriots are eating a major portion of his 2025 salary.
On top of that, the final two years of Dugger’s four-year, $58 million deal that had extended him through 2027 have been “wiped out,” per Rapoport. He will be a free agent after this season.
Pittsburgh sent a 2026 sixth-round pick to the Patriots for Duggar and a 2026 seventh rounder.
More details: The #Patriots are paying most of $5.4M that’s left of Kyle Dugger’s original base of $9.75M (plus $1M in per-game roster bonuses) to complete the deal, source says.
The final two contract years have been wiped out, source says. He’ll be a free agent after 2025. https://t.co/LnnC8E28WM
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) October 29, 2025
Dugger signed the big-money deal ahead of the 2024 season. But he struggled to live up to that contract, battling an ankle sprain for most of 2024 that eventually required surgery. Head coach Jerod Mayo lasted just one year, giving way to Mike Vrabel’s regime that’s removed Dugger from the starting lineup most of the season.
Dugger was set to be owed base salaries of of $10.75 million and $11.75 million in 2026 and 2027, respectively. Pittsburgh could’ve cut him after the season and not owed him only more money. Now, that point is moot and Dugger will become a free agent.
However, it’s worth noting Dugger can’t fetch a compensatory selection even if he signs elsewhere and would otherwise appear on the Steelers’ balance sheet. CBA rules prevent players whose contracts are shortened from counting, as comp formula expert Nick Korte noted a short time ago.
Removing the final two seasons of Kyle Dugger’s contract means that he will be ineligible to become a 2027 compensatory free agent in favor of the Steelers and against any team that might sign him in free agency.https://t.co/SaxF9ZVXoe
— Nick Korte (@nickkorte) October 29, 2025
Still, it’s a win for Pittsburgh. The Steelers are seemingly paying very little of what Dugger is owed the rest of the season, including leaving the Patriots on the hook for Dugger’s per-game roster bonuses. Pittsburgh is notoriously against including those in contracts and often rework them out of deals, including in the trade for TE Vance McDonald in 2017. Here, the Patriots will foot that bill.
Dugger is expected to provide safety help after SS DeShon Elliott was placed on injured reserve after injuring his knee in Week 8 against the Green Bay Packers. Dugger’s role for Sunday’s game against the Indianapolis Colts is unclear but he’s likely to suit up and play some number of snaps, having the entire week of practice to prepare and learn the Steelers’ system.
