Patriots Rumors: Nate Solder interest ‘off the charts’
According to recent New England Patriots rumors, the interest in offensive tackle Nate Solder is off the charts.
New England Patriots rumors are heating up with NFL Free Agency getting underway. New England will be mentioned numerous times, as they have some major free agents of their own, and will look to add some outside help as well.
The Patriots will face a lot of competition in retaining their own free agents. They have three of the top 25 free agents this offseason according to ESPN. One of them, cornerback Malcolm Butler, is as good as gone after not playing a defensive snap in the Super Bowl. He is ranked No. 22. Right ahead of him at No. 21 is running back Dion Lewis.
Lewis has been a hot name thus far this offseason. Since Le’Veon Bell was franchise tagged by the Pittsburgh Steelers, Lewis is arguably the best running back available this offseason. Lewis is drumming up a ton of interest already, as at least three teams have already been linked to him.
Lewis is reportedly a long shot to return to New England. If they miss out on him, they can turn their attention to their best free agent, offensive tackle Nate Solder. Solder is No. 11 on ESPN’s list.
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Solder is predicted to land a nice contract in free agency. Dan Graziano predicted him to sign a four-year, $49 million deal. That would make him one of the top paid tackles in the NFL. Graziano said that he could give the Patriots a discount, but that may be changing.
According to Peter King of Monday Morning Quarterback, the Houston Texans are going to be all over Solder. Houston needs a left tackle after trading Duane Brown last season to the Seattle Seahawks. Given their lack of draft capital, King expects the Texans to be active in free agency to fill some holes.
However, the Texans aren’t the only team that has interest in Solder. According to Michael Giardi of NBCSports Boston, the Denver Broncos are joining the Texans at the top of the class for Solder, along with New England. Giardi went as far as to say that the interest in Solder is off the charts.
Interest in Nate Solder has - unsurprisingly - been off the charts. Texans and Broncos would appear at the head of the class (in addition to the Pats).
— Mike Giardi (@MikeGiardi) March 12, 2018
A hometown discount for the Patriots could be tough to see happening now. It should not come as a surprise that there is immense interest in Solder, as he is arguably a top-10 left tackle in the NFL. Players of that caliber rarely hit the market.
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It will be interesting to see how Solder’s free agency plays out. The Patriots cannot really afford to lose Solder, but they do not have much cap space available. They will have to find a way to make it work, as other teams sound ready to come with lucrative offers for Solder.