The Giants may not be finished with Nate Solder after all.
There is a growing sense that a deal can and will be worked out to keep the attacking veterans on the roster. Solder would stay for a heavily discounted price, as he would count $ 16.5 million on the salary cap – a cost that is untenable for Solder to continue his career with the Giants.
Solder turns 33 next month. He closed down for the 2020 season, citing concerns about COVID-19 as his young son is undergoing cancer treatment and Solder himself is a cancer patient. Andrew Thomas, the # 4 pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, took over from Solder and started 15 of the 16 games with a tackle on the left.
If Solder returns, it won’t be like Thomas’s replacement. Solder would likely compete for the right tackle job – sophomore Matt Peart is an option here – and potentially serve as a swing tackle, providing experienced insurance on both ends of the line. However, Solder hasn’t played a proper tackle since his 2011 rookie year with the Patriots. Head coach Joe Judge has shown that he believes in alternating his attacking linemen.
Highly paid veterans who don’t play at extremely high levels are an endangered species this year, with an NFL salary cap of $ 182.5 million – much lower than $ 198.2 million in 2020. On Wednesday, the Giants were kept under wraps by $ 12 million in cap space with the release of 31-year-old security guard Kevin Zeitler.
Solder on the same day Zeitler was released, posted an article he wrote for ‘The Increase’ in which he said, ‘I’m now in a place where if I get another chance to play football, I’ll probably take it.’ The “likely” caveat most likely referred to uncertainty as to whether the new financial terms required to keep Solder on the roster would be acceptable to him or too strict to continue with the Giants.
With the opt-out, Solder forfeited $ 9.9 million in salary in 2020, although he did receive a $ 3 million roster bonus – and got $ 350,000 as a risky opt-out. Soldier acknowledged this when he wrote, “The amount of income I lost by not playing for a season was significant.”
Solder will not come back unless it feels it is being fairly compensated. He signed a four-year $ 62 million deal, with $ 34.8 million in guaranteed money, and started all 16 games in 2018 and 2019. His play in both seasons fell short of the standard he spent the first seven years of his career. the Patriots had put down. .