TIGHT END BRENTON STRANGE
MEDIA AVAILABILITY
JUNE 25, 2026
(On if he wanted to get his contract extension done before the season began) “Definitely. I
feel like Duval is home to me. I take a lot of pride in going out there every Sunday, whenever
we play, Monday, whatever it is, Thursday, and just playing good for this city and playing
good for this organization. This is where I wanted to be. I’m happy here and I’m just excited
we got the deal done.”
(On if he knew when the deal would get done) “I mean, honestly, you let your agents take
care of that and you hear every once in a while they had talks and that was something that
was going on, and you can’t focus on those things if you want to continue to get better and
you want to continue just doing what you need to do. So, in the offseason when the season
was over, I had kind of had a feeling that it might happen, but you never know. So, I’m just
excited to be here and continue building on what we started.”
(On his emotions after getting the deal done) “Man, I’m still processing, honestly. It doesn’t
feel real. This is kind of what I always dreamed of. This was always a part of the plan for me.
I wanted this to happen. I just didn’t know the steps that I was going to need to take, but it
was just putting my head down every single day, going to work and just trying to maximize
and become the best player that I can become. So, it’s still about that, and it’s still about
just getting better every day and getting even better.”
(On his next step towards involvement in the passing game) “Yeah, I mean, I think Coach
[Head Coach Liam Coen] does a great job of dialing up the matchups every single week.
So, that’s something that I let him take care of, and then I just go out there and try to
execute it to the best of my ability, and just be me. I’m definitely excited to continue
building and, like I said, we have something special here, so it’s awesome to continue to be
here and to continue to be a part of this organization.”
(On his first call after the deal got done) “We had a little group FaceTime call, my mom, my
grandma, my grandpa, my little brother. Your support system is everything. Those guys,
those people, my family has helped me come so far from the AAU trips as a kid and just
doing all this and doing all that, and my mom just doing whatever she needed to do to get
me where I needed to be. So super thankful for them, and I wouldn’t be here without them.”
(On whether there was anyone he was particularly excited to tell) “Yeah, I mean, just really
that group that I named because they were always there for me and just doing everything
for me that they could to put me in the best possible position. That’s super important
growing up and just trying to become who you want to become. So, that group FaceTime
was really special to me.”
(On whether the locker room talks about the organization’s philosophy to reward its own
players) “I don’t think so, honestly. Maybe talks every once in a while, but it is not
something that we focus on really. We want to be in the present. We want to be where our
feet are and just continue to get better every single day. It’s nice when rewards come, but a
lot of responsibility comes with those rewards and I think the guys are ready and myself,
we’re ready to take on that responsibility and continue to take the next steps.”
(On how important his first two years learning from TE Evan Engram were) “I think it was a
similar situation from when I was in college. I was behind [Steelers TE] Pat Freiermuth, and
I’d never played tight end before getting to Penn State. There’s a lot that you need to learn,
being a tight end, you have to be involved with everybody. Your foot is in everything. So, it’s
just a lot to learn. I think coming here and learning from Evan was very important in my
process because just of the knowledge that he has of the game, how he goes about his
business. I always tell you all I’m super thankful for my time with him, and I wouldn’t be
here without all that guidance.”
(On if he’s planning on making a big purchase) “No, nothing right now. I’ve got everything I
need. I’m a simple guy. I’ve got a crib in Duval, so I’m happy already. Maybe get the family
something, reward the family a little bit for all the sacrifices that they’ve done. But I don’t
have anything in particular in my mind right now.”
(On whether he hopes that WR Parker Washington will also be extended) “If that happens,
once it happens, it’ll be great. Being here with Parker has also done a lot for me. Especially
coming in, you have somebody that you can lean on and even now today, if I’ve ever got a
question about anything or if he’s got a question or either one of us need guidance, it’s good
to always just sit down with him because we know each other’s stories. We’ve been
together, and that’s on top of just what he does on the field. He’s a great player and he’s a
great person.”
(On why he believes the team is something special) “I would say it’s the people that we
have in this building, and that was another reason why I wanted to be here. And that’s not
only the players, but that’s just the staff, that’s all the people in this building. We have one
common goal and whatever we need to do to win, that’s that. So, it’s a special building,
man, and that’s what you need. You need special people around. You need the people who
are driven and determined to want to accomplish winning. And I’m happy I’m here.”
(On whether there’s a sense of urgency to repeat last season’s success) “I mean, I don’t
really speak on anything else, but I think it’s just about continuing to come in here and be
ourselves. Like I said, we have special people in this building, and I feel like last year was
last year. We don’t really worry about that anymore. It’s time for a new year and it’s time to
go out there and build. And like he says all the time, it’s about sustained success. And
that’s the only thing that we want to do, we just want to keep being successful for this city,
for this organization.”
(On how his leadership has developed, especially in regards to the two rookie tight ends) “I
think for me, I lead vocally sometimes. I speak up every once in a while when things need to
be said, but it’s just about going out there and, and doing it. That’s how I learned from Evan.
He went out there every single day, and he just put the work in, and he showed the guys
what it took to become a player of his caliber. And for me, I think that’s what I’m going to do.
I’m going to come out there every single day and I’m going to put my best foot forward and
I’m going to work hard in practice. I think that says enough.”
(On the team’s 11-1 record in games in which he played last season) “I wasn’t aware of it at
all honestly, but it feels good to go out there and to be able to make plays with the guys and
to be able to contribute. That’s all I want to do. I want to be a reliable playmaker for this
team. Anything that they call on my number to do, I want to be able to do that, and I’m going
to do it to the best of my abilities. So, it felt good being out there with the guys. That’s all I
know. Every single time we stepped out on the field, you feel the chemistry, you feel the
passion that everybody has on the field. That’s just what I felt every single time. So, like I
said, it’s just exciting to be here, to get it out of the way and continue to build.”
