He’s a good soldier.
Giants offensive attack Nate Solder agreed to restructured contract on Saturday according to the NFL Network, and is expected to join the team after presenting itself last season as a high-risk waiver option under COVID-19 protocols.
The giants could not afford to keep the 33-year-old Solder at his $ 16.5 million ceiling, given their budget constraints on the free agency and his uncertain role. and the level of performance advancing.
The details of Solder’s new deal are not known, but the intention was to reduce financial funds, so it would be about the same cost to keep around the veteran to reduce it. If the Giants had cut Solder before June 1 or withdrawn – the way things seemed to be going before the last two weeks of internal talks – the former $ 62 million free agent drop would have cost 10 , $ 5 million against the ceiling and would have released only $ 6 million.
Solder allowed the third-largest sack (11) in the NFL in 2019, but of course he struggled with injuries and a test space while his son underwent seasonal surgery to remove a cancerous tumor. First-round pick Rookie Andrew Thomas replaced Solder as the starting left-back last season, and the Giants would be wise not to mess with Thomas’ development after finding a late channel at the end of the season.
In this case, Solder will compete with Matt Peart – a third-round voter who made a start and played in other games on the bench as a rookie – on the right attack. The one who loses the competition would probably become the swing attack and will pass from the long list of Giants with a need for a free agent.
Solder made 13 right-handed starts for the Patriots as a rookie in 2011, but moved to the other side of the line for the next 114 starts of his career. He was part of the Giants’ virtual OTAs last season, but his relationship with coach Joe Judge dates back to their New England years, and Judge gives high priority to intimate acquaintance with the character entering the locker room.