UPDATE (11 a.m.): There now are conflicting reports coming out of New York over what Nate Solder said.
And here’s Solder’s full quote. It’s worth noting Traina said Raanan included the Patriots in his question, but that’s not in the official transcript. It’s normal for teams to paraphrase a question in a transcript, however.
ORIGINAL STORY: Nate Solder collectively made Twitter go, “hmm” Friday, when he said in a news conference the New York Giants and New England Patriots offered “somewhat equal money” in free agency.
That nugget came from Patricia Traina of The Athletic.
Solder signed a four-year, $62 million contract with the Giants this week. So, now it’s fair to wonder why Solder chose to sign with the Giants rather than staying with the Patriots.
“Somewhat equal” can mean a lot of things, though. Solder received $34.8 million guaranteed in his deal. Even if the years and total money were similar, it’s possible the Patriots were offering less guaranteed cash to Solder.
Miguel Benzan of Boston Sports Journal noted the Patriots always include per-game bonuses in their contracts. He also tweeted Solder’s last contract with the Patriots included a Pro Bowl incentive. Solder’s new deal includes neither.
Years and total potential money look great when contract details initially are floated out to the media. But what really matters are guarantees and the amount of money that’s actually likely to be earned. Solder could see every penny of his four-year, $62 million deal with the Giants. It’s less likely he would have seen every potential dollar out of a contract with the Patriots.
This probably won’t stop some of the more negative Patriots fans and media types from using this as another example of how players don’t want to suit up for head coach Bill Belichick, however.
