The New York Giants recently cut starting right guard Kevin Zeitler, saving $12 million against the cap. As they try to fit Leonard Williams under the cap after hitting him with the franchise tag, it only makes sense to begin shedding dead weight.
However, the Giants still have a few pieces they can release to clear more money, and one of them is OL Nate Solder. Solder opted out of the 2020 season due to COVID-19, as his son has been dealing with cancer for multiple years. Being the bigger man, he chose his family over football, a commendable choice but one that put the Giants in a tough position this off-season.
Dan Duggan of The Athletic reports that there’s optimism Solder will return to the team in 2021, with the expectation that he will make the transition to right tackle, a position he hasn’t played in over a decade.
There's "optimism" Nate Solder will make a return to the Giants for the 2021 season, per @DDuggan21
I imagine it would be at right tackle, a position he hasn't played in over a decade.
I assume a massive pay-cut is in place, let's hope at least.
— Alex Wilson (@AlexWilsonESM) March 11, 2021
The New York Giants are facing more problems:
Unfortunately, the Giants have created more problems in the trenches, and while their defensive line seems to be fine for the time being, quarterback Daniel Jones may be running for his life once again next season. With a ton of cap space in 2022, restructuring a few deals and pushing the money to next season might be in their best interest, but it doesn’t seem as if general manager Dave Gettleman is a fan of restructuring. As he stated in his most recent press conference, he desires to keep contracts flat, with an average salary allocation per season, instead of spreading it out and back-loading contracts, which can hurt down the line.
Theoretically, Gettleman’s argument makes sense, but with the cap dropping and methodology changing in the modern-day NFL, it’s either adapt or die. The Giants are not showing to be very modernized in their approach, which could end up biting them in the butt.