After the 2024 season wrap-up, Robert Kraft and the New England Patriots have found themselves in the very spot the rest of the teams are. In a tug of war of the players, as the free agency is approaching. The questions are pretty simple. Who to sign? Who to trade? And who to offer an extension? But the answers to these questions are…well, pretty messy.

Entering the 2025 offseason, the Patriots have some tough calls to make. While some players are eyeing contract extensions, others are entering the final year of their contracts. One of the first players is Cole Strange, who is in the fourth year of his rookie contract. The New England team drafted him back in the 2022 NFL draft with a 29th overall pick. His contract terms?

$12.1M fully guaranteed, including a $6.1M bonus. Now, the 26-year-old is entering 2025 with $2.5M fully guaranteed. With that being said, the Patriots now have three options for Strange’s future. For starters, they can activate a contract option that would pay him around $17M in 2026. But nah, the team’s probably not gonna spend this much on him, given he’s not playing on an elite level as of now.

Second, they can decline the option, making him a free agent in 2025. Alright, now this is where things start to heat up. You see, Stange entered pro football as a guard and had an eventful start to his NFL career. Then came a strategic move in late 2024 and the team shifted Strange to Center position considering a looming vacancy in 2025.

The kicker? This transition worked and stabilized Strange’s performance. That said, it’s unlikely that the Patriots would want to make him a free agent. That left them with one final option. To offer him a longer-term extension with a low yearly salary to save money. As of 2025, the 26-year-old is valued at $4.5M per year.

That means Robert Kraft’s team may negotiate a suitable contract with Strange at the same rate instead of paying $17M in 2026. It’s up to the front office if they want to go ahead with Strange, given the new staff is in place.

But what about WR problems for Robert Kraft’s team?

If we talk about the wide receiver corp, then it is safe to say that the Patriots have been failing to find Julian Edelman’s successor ever since he retired in 2021. They’ve had a revolving door of receivers—like DeVante Parker, Jakobi Meyers (who left for the Raiders), JuJu Smith-Schuster (who underperformed in 2023), and rookies like Demario Douglas—but none have consistently stepped up as a go-to playmaker.

But 2025 is the year of changes. While we’re seeing Myles Garrett’s decision to leave the Browns‘ D-line, we also have Tee Higgins from the Bengals looking for a well-deserving contract extension. But as the Cincinnati Bengals are making an image of Cheap-innati Bengals, they’ve yet to offer him an extension. Now, that’s an opportunity for the Patriots to sign Higgins in 2025.

But just when you thought a mere possibility of this deal, a reporter on The Greg Hill Show killed the vibe. He didn’t hold back and said, “I’m here to tell you, the Patriots are not going to get T. Higgins.” Ooh! One can feel that fire in this statement, but what’s the reason behind this? Is it the money game?

Well, he dropped some harsh truth, explaining, “Money only goes so far when there’s other better teams who also have money willing to give it to him. When you’ve got teams like the Ravens, the Chiefs, and other contenders who are in it for a big-time receiver, that’s a big hurdle for the Patriots.” Ouch!

It stings when you’ve nearly $120M in cap space in 2025, but you still can’t sign the top wide receiver. The reason? Well, according to the reporter, money isn’t the only option to sign Higgins. Sure, the Patriots have built a dynasty in the NFL, but their last few seasons? Poor enough for someone to neglect them. Let’s be real—if a player has to choose between a fat paycheck or a legit shot at a Super Bowl, odds are they’re chasing that ring.

After all, we recently witnessed Myles Garrett’s statement of winning a Super Bowl, right? So yeah, the Patriots have enough to pay Higgins, but it’s up to him if he wants to join New England or not.