Pre-draft Cole was invited to the
Senior Bowl after his college career but had a poor performance during the game. His weight had increased from about 305 to 315 pounds, with Cole stating "within five or six plays, I'm winded. It may have been the level of competition, but I think it was just more the weight that I wasn't used to."
Minnesota Vikings Cole signed with the
Minnesota Vikings on May 2, 2003, after going undrafted in the
2003 NFL draft. He was waived on September 9 after the first game of the regular season, although the Vikings signed him to their
practice squad on September 25. He was promoted to the active roster on October 1 before being waived again on October 7, 2003. However, Cole did not end up playing in the game. He was waived by the Lions on September 5, 2004, and signed to the practice squad on September 7. He was then released on September 8, 2004. Through the first 11 games of the 2007 season, Cole appeared in seven games and was inactive for four others. He sustained a concussion during practice on October 3, 2007. Overall in 2007, he recorded seven solo tackles, five assisted tackles, and one pass breakup, before being placed on injured reserve on November 26, 2007, due to suffering a fractured forearm in a game against the Lions. In 2008, the Packers extended a second-round ($1.417 million) tender to Cole, who was a
restricted free agent. He signed the tender on April 17, 2008. He played in all 16 games (no starts) in 2008, totaling 19 solo tackles, 11 assisted tackles, 0.5 sacks, and four pass breakups.
Seattle Seahawks in 2009 Despite not having started a game since 2006 and only having posted 0.5 sacks in the prior two seasons, Cole signed a five-year contract worth $21.4 million, including $6 million in guaranteed money, with the
Seattle Seahawks on March 1, 2009. He appeared in all 16 games, with a career-high 15 starts, for the Seahawks in 2009, accumulating 29 solo tackles, 19 assisted tackles, one fumble recovery, two pass breakups, and no sacks. He appeared in 11 games, all starts, during the 2010 season, recording 36 solo tackles, eight assisted tackles, one sack, and five pass breakups. The Seahawks went 7–9 in 2010 but finished first in the
NFC West. Cole started two playoff games for the Seahawks, posting five solo tackles, one assisted tackle, and one pass breakup. He was released by the team on September 3, 2011. He was a backup for the first two games of the 2013 season but took over as starter after
Dwan Edwards suffered an injury. Cole was later inactive for the final game of the season due to a strained calf. He played in 15 games, starting 13, overall in 2013, totaling nine solo tackles, six assisted tackles, and one sack. Cole posted two assisted tackles in a reserve role during the team's divisional round playoff loss to the
San Francisco 49ers. On April 9, 2014, the Panthers re-signed Cole to a one-year deal worth $1.1 million. Cole played in two games, starting one, during the
2014 postseason and recorded one solo tackle and three assisted tackles. On March 3, 2015, he re-signed with the Panthers for one year and $1.0 million. ==NFL career statistics==