Patriots Use Oft-Forgotten Tag On Kyle Dugger; What’s That Mean?

Patriots safety Kyle Dugger was slated to hit unrestricted free agency for the first time on March 13, but that changed Tuesday.

New England is electing to place the transition tag on Dugger, according to Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.

If you're wondering how the transition tag works, you're not the only one. It's often forgotten given how little it's used, but essentially puts a player into restricted free agency as the tagging team is guaranteed the right of first refusal to match any offer the player might receive from another club.

It's a one-year tender offer that is averaged from the top 10 salaries at each position, meaning Dugger has a one-year, $13.8 million offer on the table from New England. The Patriots can match any offer Dugger receives from another team if they so choose but will be awarded no compensation if they don't match a deal.

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The Patriots essentially limited Dugger's options, so he'll likely only look to accept a salary with an average annual value above $13 million, which they look ready to match.

New England limited its own options, though, as only one franchise tag or transition tag can be used per offseason. That means versatile offensive lineman Mike Onwenu will not receive a tag and will become a free agent.

Dugger's return to New England now looks likely, where he'll have another season to potentially work out a new long-term deal. That, or this could just be delaying a foray into free agency.