When the New York Giants and general manager Dave Gettleman signed left tackle Nate Solder to a four-year, $62 million deal in 2018, it was widely accepted as a move that needed to be made.
Even then, the football world knew Solder’s contract was bloated, but the Giants were in a desperate situation and offensive line contracts were (and remain) through the roof.
With Solder now entering the third year of that contract, he and the Giants routinely find themselves being panned — Solder for failing to live up to the contract and the Giants for signing him to it in the first place.
Some have gone as far as to call Solder’s signing the Giants’ “worst mistake of the decade,” while others take a less dramatic, but still critical approach.
Such was the case earlier this week when John Breech of CBS Sports named Solder the NFL’s most-overpaid player.
When the Giants made Nate Solder the highest-paid left tackle in NFL history back in 2018, they were probably hoping that his play would justify his pay, but that simply hasn’t been the case. Solder has been so bad that he might actually go down as one of the free agent busts in NFL history.
If you watched any highlights of the Giants from 2019, you may have noticed that Daniel Jones was almost always running for his life. A big reason for that is because of Solder’s struggles: The left tackle surrendered 11 sacks last year, according to Pro Football Focus. If you’re wondering what the Giants currently think of Solder, all you have to do is look at they did in the 2020 draft: After only two seasons of watching Solder play, the Giants decided they needed to upgrade at tackle, which is why they selected Andrew Thomas with the fourth overall pick.
Two years after being signed, Solder still has the biggest cap hit of any left tackle in the NFL and the second-biggest cap hit of any offensive linemen heading into 2020.
As we’ve reminded many in the recent past, Solder has dealt with injury issues the previous two seasons and several off-field family-related issues have likely prevented him from applying 100 percent focus.
Those aren’t excuses, they’re just the reality of what Solder has endured. The good news is that Solder appears healthy entering the 2020 season and things at home also seem much better. Factoring both of those things in, the hope remains that Solder can return to a higher level of play this season and justify at least some of that massive contract.
