The 2025 NFL season is reportedly going to be a contract year for Patriots’ 2022 first-round pick Cole Strange.
According to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, the Patriots are not picking up the fifth-year option for Strange, meaning that the 26-year-old offensive lineman is entering the final year of his rookie contract this season.
New England’s decision to not pick up that option isn’t much of a surprise. Picking up that option would have kept Strange in New England for another season in 2026, but at a $16.8 million payout.
So far, Strange has not validated that financial commitment — with the former University of Tennessee at Chattanooga product dealing with injuries since joining New England.