The 29-year-old is set to hit the open market next week.
The New England Patriots have made decisions on their two restricted free agents. They will keep linebacker Christian Elliss on what effectively amounts to a one-year, $3.263 million contract, but have decided not to tender fellow RFA Lester Cotton.
The 29-year-old offensive lineman is therefore set to enter the open market next Wednesday. According to a report by ESPN’s Mike Reiss, however, a “return [is] not ruled out.”
A former rookie free agent out of Alabama who spent time in Las Vegas and Miami to open his career, Cotton arrived in New England as a waiver claim last November. Joining an offensive line that had struggled with stability throughout the season, he was unable to make much of an impact.
Cotton ended up appearing in three games bookmarked by a pair of healthy-scratch deactivations. In total, he was on the field for only 19 offensive snaps as either an extra lineman, fullback or right guard.
In total, Cotton has seen action in 46 regular season games and two playoff contests over the course of his career. He has started 10 games, none of which as a member of the Patriots.
With Cotton headed for free agency, the only Patriots left unaccounted for at the moment are their remaining nine unrestricted free agents.