The NY Giants now have a very real scenario brewing of Nate Solder opting-out of the 2020 NFL season due to COVID concerns.
When you combined the fact that NY Giants offensive tackle Nate Solder is such a good guy dealing with such a horrific family problem with him proving he’s a liability on the field, and this new opt-out clause proposed by the NFLPA could cause a scenario that’s actually beneficial for both sides in many ways.
I think it’s clear to even Nate Solder himself -it surely has got to be clear for the NY Giants – that just doesn’t have it anymore after two seasons with Big Blue and heading into his 32-year-old season in year three with NYG.
Our friends over at Empiresportsmedia.com were the first that I’ve seen on the internet make the somewhat obvious connection between this new opt-out clause with Nate Solder, who seems like a perfect candidate for the measure if there ever has been one.
There's a very real possibility that Nate Solder elects to opt-out of the 2020 season due to his son's cancer liability..
— Alex Wilson (@AlexWilsonESM) July 21, 2020
In that scenario, is Andrew Thomas the sure-fire left tackle or do you consider Cameron Fleming there too? #NYG
The two main sticking points that relate directly to Nate Solder from the NFLPA’s suggesting of handling the opt-out procedure fall right in line with Solder and his personal family situation, as here are two of the things a player must be suffering from to qualify from the original ESPN piece discussing the provisions.
"An opt-out clause for at-risk players to receive salary (but not bonuses) if they decide not to play. An opt-out clause for players with at-risk families to earn an accrued season and benefits if they decide not to play."
Nate Solder would surely fall under those categories with a child with cancer at home, and since he’s collected the better portion of his four-year salary in portion – including a good chunk of his 2020 salary – it makes the decision easier for the vet to fade away under legitimate circumstances when he’s clearly shown he can’t get it done on the field for the NY Giants over the past two seasons.
Here’s exactly why in detail it affects both sides positively.