The final year of Cole Strange’s rookie contract will go forward as scheduled.
The New England Patriots plan to decline the interior offensive lineman’s option for 2026, projected at $16.7 million, as reported Wednesday by ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler.
May 1 marked the deadline for selections from the first round of the 2022 NFL draft to have their fifth-year options exercised by clubs. The window to do so opened on Jan. 6.
Since then, 17 prospects from that rookie class have seen theirs picked up. The list includes Kansas City Chiefs defensive end George Karlaftis and Cincinnati Bengals defensive back Dax Hill, who directly followed the arrival out of Chattanooga at No.