Giants’ Nate Solder Plans To Play
Count Nate Solder among the 2020 opt-outs who will return in 2021. The Giants veteran tells ESPN.com’s Jordan Raanan (Twitter link) that he plans to play, “as long as the situation is right.” 
Solder’s decision doesn’t necessarily guarantee that he’ll be back with the G-Men, however. After his 2020 commitment tolled, he’s scheduled to make $10MM and count for $16.5MM against the cap. That’s a lot of money, especially with 2020 first-round left tackle Andrew Thomas in the fold.
Instead, the Giants can trade or cut Solder outright to save $6MM against the cap. If they trade him in the summer or make him a post-June 1 release, they can spread out the dead money hit to create $10MM in breathing room this offseason. In that event, they’d have $6.5MM in dead money this year and $4MM in 2021.
The Giants signed Solder to a then-record four-year, $62MM deal in 2018. He was the centerpiece of GM Dave Gettleman‘s offensive line overhaul, but he did not live up to the contract in his first two seasons. Now, the 6-foot-8 veteran could wind up making his return elsewhere.
Giants Want To Re-Sign Dalvin Tomlinson; Latest On Leonard Williams
This won’t come as a big shock, but the Giants want to re-sign defensive tackle Dalvin Tomlinson, as Ralph Vacchiano of SNY.tv writes. New York, however, has virtually no cap room at the moment, so GM Dave Gettleman will have his work cut out for him in trying to bring back Tomlinson and fellow D-lineman Leonard Williams.
It won’t be overly difficult to clear between $20MM-$30MM of cap space with a few obvious releases and restructures, but it’s not as though Tomlinson and Williams are Big Blue’s only priorities. The team still has major holes at wide receiver, O-line, and cornerback, so it remains to be seen if Gettleman will be able to keep his defensive front intact.
Tomlinson, Pro Football Focus’ 25th-best interior defender out of 126 qualified players in 2020, could pull down a multi-year pact worth $8MM-$10MM per season. But Vacchiano suggests that he might also be one of those players whose earning power will be weakened as a result of the reduced salary cap, so the 2017 second-rounder may opt for a one-year pact with an eye towards a return trip to free agency in 2022, when the cap may increase dramatically.
Of course, a one-year deal means that the Giants would not be able to spread out any of Tomlinson’s cap charges. So while Vacchiano believes that such an arrangement could represent New York’s best chance to bring Tomlinson back, that might only be true if his market does not bear much fruit.
Williams, meanwhile, is still shooting for the $20MM/year contract he has been seeking for some time, and given his 2020 breakout, there’s a good chance he’ll get it. He was finally able to start converting QB hits into sacks last season, finishing the year with 11.5 sacks and grading out as PFF’s 15th-best interior defender. His abilities to get to the quarterback and to stop the run make him a complete player, and even though there is some concern that he could regress to the level of solid-but-not-great play he displayed with the Jets, he is not likely to get anything less than an $18MM AAV with up to $60MM in guarantees.
Vacchiano confirms a report from last March that the Giants were unwilling to offer a long-term deal to Williams that averaged his 2020 franchise tag value of $16.1MM. At the time, that made perfect sense from New York’s perspective, but Williams was unwilling to go that low, so he chose to bet on himself (and won). This year, a franchise or transition tag for either Williams or Tomlinson would seem to be cost-prohibitive, though Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network (video link) says the $19.3MM franchise tag for Williams should not be ruled out (which makes sense if Williams is looking at a $20MM/year long-term deal).
Paul Schwartz of the New York Post unsurprisingly says Williams must be retained, but like Vacchiano, he concedes that keeping Tomlinson could be a little tougher. And assuming Williams is brought back, the club will certainly not be able to be as active in free agency as it was last year, even though the Giants do not have any other free agents of their own that qualify as major priorities. As such, New York may need to make savvy, under-the-radar signings to boost its O-line, especially at right tackle. Last year’s 16-game RT starter, Cameron Fleming, will not be re-signed as a starter, Schwartz writes.
Giants Add Jeremy Pruitt To Staff
The Giants have added a big name to Joe Judge’s second staff. New York has officially hired Jeremy Pruitt to be a defensive assistant, the team announced. Pruitt is coming off a high profile job after serving as the head coach at Tennessee the past three seasons. He was fired by the University last month as part of a housecleaning after an investigation found major recruiting violations took place. A former Nick Saban protege who was the defensive coordinator at Alabama before taking the Tennessee job, Pruitt has never coached in the NFL before. Judge was a special teams assistant at Alabama from 2009-11 while Pruitt was on staff, so there’s some familiarity here.
Browns Lead NFL In Salary Cap Carryover
Earlier today, the NFL Players Association announced (via Twitter) the salary cap carryover amounts for all 32 NFL teams for the 2021 season. Effectively, teams are able to rollover their unused cap from the previous season. So, when the 2021 salary cap numbers become official, they can be added to each team’s carryover amount to determine that individual club’s official cap for 2021.
This follows news from earlier today that the NFL has raised its salary cap floor to $180MM for 2021. This total could clue us in to the salary cap maximum, which could end up landing north of $190MM. The salary cap was $198.2MM for the 2020 campaign.
As the NFLPA detailed, the league will rollover $315.1MM from the 2020 season, an average of $9.8MM per team. The Browns lead the league with a whopping $30.4MM, and they’re the only team in the top-five to make the playoffs. The NFC East ($68.8MM) and AFC East ($65.3MM) are the two divisions will the largest carryover amounts.
The full list is below:
- Cleveland Browns: $30.4MM
- New York Jets: $26.7MM
- Dallas Cowboys: $25.4MM
- Jacksonville Jaguars: $23.5MM
- Philadelphia Eagles: $22.8MM
- New England Patriots: $19.6MM
- Denver Broncos: $17.8MM
- Washington Football Team: $15.8MM
- Miami Dolphins: $15.2MM
- Detroit Lions: $12.8MM
- Cincinnati Bengals: $10.8MM
- Houston Texans: $9.2MM
- Indianapolis Colts: $8.3MM
- Los Angeles Chargers: $8.1MM
- Chicago Bears: $7MM
- Los Angeles Rams: $5.7MM
- Kansas City Chiefs: $5.1MM
- Arizona Cardinals: $5MM
- Pittsburgh Steelers: $5MM
- New York Giants: $4.8MM
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers: $4.6MM
- Minnesota Vikings: $4.5MM
- Carolina Panthers: $4.3MM
- New Orleans Saints: $4.1MM
- Buffalo Bills: $3.8MM
- Green Bay Packers: $3.7MM
- Las Vegas Raiders: $3.6MM
- Tennessee Titans: $2.3MM
- San Francisco 49ers: $1.9MM
- Atlanta Falcons: $1.8MM
- Seattle Seahawks: $956K
- Baltimore Ravens: $587K
Giants Interested In Kenny Golladay?
The Giants have their top three receivers from the past two seasons — Sterling Shepard, Golden Tate and Darius Slayton — under contract for 2021, but they are expected to show interest in a higher-profile pass catcher.
Should the Lions let Kenny Golladay hit the market, many around the league expect the Giants to pursue the Pro Bowl target, Ralph Vacchiano of SNY.tv notes. The Giants discussed Golladay with the Lions before last year’s trade deadline, despite having just one win at the time, but the Lions held onto their No. 1 receiver. Golladay, however, missed most of the season due to injury.
Golladay’s availability will obviously factor into any team’s pursuit. A franchise tag for the four-year veteran is firmly on the table, despite the Lions having traded Matthew Stafford and overhauled their front office and coaching staff this offseason. The former third-round pick missed 11 games last season because of hamstring and hip injuries but averaged an NFL-high 18.3 yards per catch in 2019, doing so with Stafford missing half that season.
The Giants are expected to part ways with Tate at some point soon. No guaranteed money remains on the veteran’s deal, which calls for a $10.9MM cap number. Tate’s former Lions teammate would be a target to monitor, though the two-time 1,000-yard receiver may only be available through a tag-and-trade scenario. A receiver tag is expected to cost north of $16MM.
As of mid-February, the Giants are less than $1MM under the projected $180MM cap. They have Leonard Williams and Dalvin Tomlinson on track for free agency, with the former set to command big money after a breakthrough season in his first full year with the Giants. The team also has an edge rusher need yet again. But the Giants’ offense regressed to 31st in points scored last season, and its Daniel Jones plan may require more help for the young quarterback.
Should Golladay not hit the market, several other big-name receivers will. Former Dave Gettleman Panthers draftee Curtis Samuel is a free agent-to-be. Even if Chris Godwin and Allen Robinson are tagged, the likes of Will Fuller, JuJu Smith-Schuster, Corey Davis, T.Y. Hilton, Marvin Jones and A.J. Green are some of the names set to be free agents. The 2021 draft is also expected to be heavy on wideout talent, continuing a recent trend.
Eagles Claim CB Shakial Taylor
The Eagles have claimed a player from a division rival. The team announced that they’ve claimed cornerback Shakial Taylor off of waivers from the Giants.
The 24-year-old was acquired by the Giants last offseason, and he ultimately opted out of the 2020 campaign with a high-risk designation. The Giants initially attempted to waive the cornerback, but he eventually reverted to their reserve list for the entire season. The Giants ended up waiving Taylor earlier this week.
The 2019 undrafted free agent out of Kansas has also spent time with the Colts and Broncos. He saw time in five games for Indy during his rookie campaign, collecting seven tackles and one pass defended. He garnered a three-year, $1.76MM deal from the Broncos during the 2020 offseason, but he was cut by the time prior to the preseason.
Taylor will have some familiarity with the Eagles, as he played under current defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon during the duo’s time in Indy. Gannon previously served as the Colts cornerbacks coach.
Coaching Notes: Kitchens, 49ers, Bucs
Freddie Kitchens will see his role expand in New York. The Giants are promoting the former Browns HC from tight ends coach to senior offensive assistant, according to ESPN.com’s Jordan Raanan (on Twitter). Earlier this month, we heard the Giants may be eyeing more responsibility for Kitchens. Derek Dooley, who received interest from other teams, will take over as the Giants’ tight ends coach, Raanan adds. Previously the Mizzou offensive coordinator, Dooley joined Joe Judge‘s staff last year. The Giants used Kitchens as their interim play-caller while Jason Garrett battled COVID-19 last season and will lean on him more in 2021.
Here is the latest from the coaching circuit:
- To replace Antwaan Randle El on their coaching staff, the Buccaneers will also turn to a recently retired quarterback. Thad Lewis will rise from intern to offensive assistant on Bruce Arians‘ staff, Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times tweets. Randle El left to become the Lions’ wide receivers coach. Lewis bounced around the NFL for nearly eight years; he was most recently with the Ravens in 2017.
- A day after hiring Jay Valai as cornerbacks coach, the Eagles will lose him. Alabama will instead hire Valai, according to ESPN.com’s Adam Rittenberg (on Twitter). Announced as one of the Eagles’ hires earlier this week, Valai will join former Texans HC Bill O’Brien at Alabama. Valai will replace Karl Scott as the Crimson Tide’s cornerbacks coach. Scott joined the Vikings’ staff this week.
- Hired recently after a one-year stint as Lions DC, Cory Undlin will serve as the 49ers‘ secondary coach and defensive passing-game specialist. Fellow former DC James Bettcher will be a senior defensive assistant and the team’s run-game overseer on that side of the ball. The 49ers are promoting Darryl Tapp to assistant defensive line coach and hiring former wide receiver Leonard Hankerson and Klay Kubiak as quality control assistants. Klay is one of Gary Kubiak‘s sons. Even after Gary’s retirement, there are still three Kubiaks in the NFL — Klay and brothers Klint (the new Vikings OC) and Klein (a Cowboys scout). Hankerson also has a history with Kyle Shanahan, having played with Washington from 2011-13.
- The Bengals hired Justin Hill as running backs coach. Hill will come to Cincinnati from the college ranks, having spent the past six seasons as Tulsa’s running backs coach. This will be his first NFL job. The Bengals are also promoting former NFL wideout Troy Walters to receivers coach. Walters served as Cincy’s assistant wideouts coach last season, working under Bob Bicknell.
- Robert Saleh made an interesting hire recently. The new Jets HC added Steve Scarnecchia as his chief of staff, per Brian Costello of the New York Daily News. The son of longtime Patriots offensive line coach Dante Scarnecchia, Steve spent the past six years as the Falcons’ assistant to the head coach. Steve Scarnecchia was part of both the Patriots’ Spygate scandal, working in the team’s video department from 2001-04, and was the Broncos staffer whose filming of a 49ers walkthrough in 2010 led to Josh McDaniels‘ firing in Denver. The younger Scarnecchia will accompany new Jets DC Jeff Ulbrich in moving from Atlanta to New York.
Minor NFL Transactions: 2/12/21
We’ll keep track of today’s minor moves here:
Carolina Panthers
- Waived: DT Woodrow Hamilton
- Waived/failed physical: S Natrell Jamerson
New York Giants
- Waived: WR Da’Mari Scott, CB Shakial Taylor
San Francisco 49ers
- Re-signed: WR River Cracraft
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Signed to futures deals: RB C.J. Prosise, DT Sam Renner, C Donell Stanley
Giants Agree To Terms With OL Coach
- The Giants intend to hire Rob Sale to be their next offensive line coach, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. Sale spent the past three seasons as Louisiana’s offensive coordinator. He has a history with Joe Judge. The two coached at Alabama together from 2009-11.
- Sale will replace Dave DeGuglielmo, who will head to Louisiana himself. After 17 seasons in the NFL, DeGuglielmo agreed to become the offensive line coach at Louisiana Tech, Cory Diaz of the Monroe (La.) News-Star notes. DeGuglielmo, who collected a Super Bowl ring with the 2014 Patriots, was an emergency replacement for the Dolphins in 2019 and Giants in 2020. The Giants opted not to bring him back on a full-time basis.
Giants QB Alex Tanney To Retire
Despite agreeing to a reserve/futures contract with the Giants last month, Alex Tanney will step away from the game. The veteran reserve quarterback announced his retirement Tuesday.
Although Tanney, 33, did not end up seeing much game work during his career, he hung around for nine NFL seasons. The Division III product’s run included time with the Chiefs, Cowboys, Browns, Buccaneers, Titans, Bills, Colts and Giants.
Originally a 2012 UDFA with the Chiefs, after compiling a trick-shot highlight reel as a prospect, Tanney spent the past three seasons with the Giants. Initially signing with New York in May 2018, Tanney spent time with the team during the Pat Shurmur and Joe Judge regimes.
The Giants exercised his option in March of 2020 but ended up cutting him ahead of the regular season. However, the Monmouth (Ill.) alum made his way back to the team in early December, when Daniel Jones battled injuries, and stuck around until season’s end.
Tanney did not take many game snaps in his career but did complete 11 of the 15 passes he threw. Fourteen of those throws came in a Week 17 game with the 2015 Titans, with whom he threw his only career touchdown pass — a 5-yarder to Dorial Green-Beckham.