Mack Herron
Pro Bowl Player
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CLICK HERE to Register for a free account and login for a smoother ad-free experience. It's easy, and only takes a few moments.I want to know what's the story on Garcia??
Not sure why that is surprising, considering that Solder just hit the practice field for the first time only two days ago.When Gronk plays a pre season game and Solder doesn't, hummm I'm scratching my head.
As an FYI, here are contract numbers for NFL left tackles (in addition to the article cited in the original post).
Note: you can use the drop down menus to change from 2017 to 2018, 2019, full length of contract, etc.
Left Tackle Contracts and Salaries | Over The Cap
Left Tackle Active Player Contracts | Spotrac
NFL Salary Rankings and Cap Hits - LT | Spotrac
Since his original rookie contract expired, Nate Solder's cap number has ranked 2nd among left tackles (in 2016, the first year of his extension) and now 5th in 2017.
Right now the 5th cap number for a LT in 2018 would be $13,950,000; 10th would be $11,400,000. For 2019 we are looking at $14,200,000 (5th) and $11,700,000 (10th). That should give us a benchmark of what it would cost to extend Solder - assuming of course that he even wants to continue playing beyond this season.
One important aspect to keep in mind: we already know that the salary cap is going to increase significantly over the next few years based on television contracts that have already been signed. We are looking at base salary caps along the lines of:
2015 -- $143,280,000
2016 -- $155,270,000
2017 -- $167,000,000
2018 -- $178,000,000
2019 -- $190,000,000
That is a significant consideration. What may appear to be an outrageous contract that does not make fiscal sense today, could actually represent the same (or even lower) portion of a team's cap a year or two from now.
Great post, very informative.
I would argue that Solder's value is increased considerably by the extreme difficulty of finding decent Left Tackles. To add a little more info, I pulled up a 2017 ranking of Left Tackles (yes, I know that is very arbitrary, but it is a start). The ranking of the top 12, along with the round they were drafted and their age is:
1) Tyron Smith, First Round Pick 9, Age 26
2) Joe Thomas, First Round Pick 3, Age 32
3) Jason Peters, Undrafted, Age 35
4) Trent Williams, First Round Pick 4, Age 29
5) Terron Armsted, Third Round Pick 75, Age 26
6) Andrew Whitworth, Second Round Pick 55, Age 35
7) David Bakhtiari, Fourth Round Pick 109, Age 25
8) Donald Penn, undrafted, Age 34
9) Duane Brown, First Round Pick 26, Age 31
10) Joe Staley, First Round Pick 28, Age 32
11) Russell Okung, First Round Pick 6, Age 29
12) Nate Solder, First Round Pick 17, Age 29
My interpretation of this chart is that Left Tackles largely require extremely high draft capital or a gigantic payout (just look at the $55M contract with $31M guaranteed given to Matt Kali, who really isn't a decent tackle). First let's throw out players that are near retirement as they clearly have less value: Jason Peters (Age 35), Andrew Whitworth (Age 35) and Donald Penn (Age 34).
Then of the remaining 9 top Left Tackles left on the list, only two outliers weren't drafted in the first Round (Terron Armsted and David Bakhtiri) and four of the nine were drafted in the top nine of the First Round.
I have long thought that the high cap hit of Nate Solder (second behind Brady) was no accident, because of the difficulty of obtaining decent Left Tackles via the draft or in free agency. If Solder could be convinced to return for a couple of years (or even longer) I think he would be well worth the money.
https://athlonsports.com/nfl/nfl-offensive-linemen-rankings
I know that some folks disagree. However, Ibeleive that Solder's injury actors in to future contracts. IMHO, other teams will likely to take higher risks than Belichick.
Not sure why that is surprising, considering that Solder just hit the practice field for the first time only two days ago.
You mean besides the fact that he's a 285 lb, small-school LT who built his rep against inferior competition and is now competing against grown men?I want to know what's the story on Garcia??
You mean besides the fact that he's a 285 lb, small-school LT who built his rep against inferior competition and is now competing against grown men?
One thing the Captain does not do is hold back.Please tell us how you really feel. Don't hold back.
You mean besides the fact that he's a 285 lb, small-school LT who built his rep against inferior competition and is now competing against grown men?
You mean besides the fact that he's a 285 lb, small-school LT who built his rep against inferior competition and is now competing against grown men?
Who's that, Andrews?...In the end, who do you think will play more snaps for the Pats, Garcia or the undrafted free agent 4 year starter from Georgia?