The Patriots might be that much closer to getting their entire rookie class under contract before training camp.
Sirius XM NFL insider Adam Caplan reported Wednesday the team has signed 2022 first-round draft pick Cole Strange to his rookie contract after weeks of waiting. Then, second-round receiver Tyquan Thornton shared a photo of himself on Instagram apparently signing his deal Wednesday afternoon, though the move hasn't been made completely official yet.
Strange and Thornton participated throughout rookie camp, OTAs, and mandatory minicamp without a signed contract as the Patriots operated perilously close to their salary cap limit. With New England's top two picks now in the fold, fourth-round quarterback Bailey Zappe is the only rookie who remains unsigned.
New England will likely announce corresponding moves to create space. As of Thursday, however, no such moves had yet been announced, and no Patriots roster moves were listed on Wednesday's NFL transaction wire.
Salary cap expert Miguel Benzan still has the team's available cap space at $142,280.
Cole Strange's deal should look like this. A four-year fully guaranteed deal. Patriots will have an option to pick up a fifth year. pic.twitter.com/D34mcEEjin
— Miguel Benzan Cap Space Equals 142,280 (@patscap) June 22, 2022
The most obvious moves to open up cap space would be pushing some of Matthew Judon's money into a signing bonus over the next two seasons or extending Hunter Henry, who has become one of Mac Jones' favorite targets, to lower the tight end's cap number for this season. Trading players like Isaiah Wynn or Nelson Agholor would open up significant amounts of money, but those moves would likely be harder to pull off.
Strange and Thornton's reported signings mean we'll soon find out what the team is up to.
