The Giants entered the preliminary stages of their offseason planning, not knowing if Nate Solder, their sky-high offensive tackle, wanted to return to the game, or if his year away from football would bring him into retirement.
Once Solder decided he wanted to come back in, the Giants got to work restructuring his contract to make his return logical within their salary cap.
For days a new deal was in the works, and the Giants were confident that Solder would come to an agreement. A deal is now in the books, and while it’s a financial blow to Solder, it will save the Giants $ 6 million on their 2021 salary cap, The Post confirmed.
Solder was slated to make $ 10 million in salary, and the scrapping cuts that down to about $ 4 million, including some bonus money. He will be 33 next month.
Solder started all 32 games as a left tackle in his first two years with the Giants after signing a four-year $ 62 million deal that made him the NFL’s highest-paid attacking lineman for a time. He shut down for the 2020 season, citing concerns about COVID-19, as his son is undergoing cancer treatment in kindergarten and Solder himself previously had testicular cancer.
Solder’s original contract had him counting $ 16.5 million on this year’s salary cap, which never would. With the salary of $ 4 million and $ 10.5 million in pro rata bonus, Solder’s limit was reduced to $ 10.5 million.
The pay cut is proportional to what is likely to be a role change. The Giants took Andrew Thomas with the No. 4 pick in the 2020 NFL Draft and, after an up and down rookie year, he will remain their starting left tackle. The Giants hope that Matt Peart, last year’s third-round pick, can emerge as their starting tackle in his second season. If so, Solder will provide insurance on the roster as a backup fluctuation.
If Peart can’t take the starting role, or if Solder just beats him, Solder steps in as the right starting attack, a position he hasn’t played with the Patriots since his 2011 rookie year.
It remains to be seen what the year away from football did for Solder, a 6-foot-8,325-pound athlete who had his share of physical bumps and bruises in 2018 and 2019, though he never missed a start. The Giants have a new offensive line coach in Rob Sale, although their assistant offensive line coach Ben Wilkerson will return and is familiar with Solder from their two years with the Giants.
The Giants made the previously reported DT Austin Johnson and WR CJ Board re-signings official and announced the new signing of Long Snapper Casey Kreiter.