EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — The New York Giants have started fixing their woeful offensive line.
A person familiar with the negotiations says the team has an agreement with offensive tackle Nate Solder. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the Giants did not announced the deal with the former New England Patriots left tackle when free agency kicked off Wednesday.
NFL Network reported the Giants will give Solder a four-year, $62 million deal.
The 29-year-old Solder was considered the top offensive lineman available in free agency. He will be the NFL’s highest-paid offensive lineman.
His signing is a major accomplishment for new general manager Dave Gettleman, who has taken over a team that went 3-13 last season. The O-line was one of the team’s biggest weaknesses. Former general manager Jerry Reese’s failure to address the problem in free agency last year led to his firing in December.
Solder will probably take over at left tackle and 2015 first-round draft pick Ereck Flowers will be moved to the right side.
Meanwhile, the Tennessee Titans are doing their best to recreate the Patriot Way in Music City, Nashville, Tenn.
General manager Jon Robinson, hired in January 2016, got his NFL start as a New England scout. Robinson signed cornerback Logan Ryan as a free agent last year. He then hired Mike Vrabel, who won three Super Bowls as a Patriots linebacker, as Tennessee’s new coach in January after the Titans’ season ended in Foxborough in the divisional round of the playoffs.
Now the Titans are kicking off free agency by agreeing to deals with a pair of Patriots in cornerback Malcolm Butler and running back Dion Lewis.
Agent Derek Simpson told The Associated Press on Tuesday that Butler will sign a five-year deal worth more than $60 million, which includes more than $30 million guaranteed, once free agency begins. A person familiar with the deal told the AP that Lewis has agreed on a four-year contract worth a maximum value of $23.4 million .
The person spoke on the condition of anonymity because signings can’t become official until the start of the new league year on Wednesday. ESPN’s Adam Schefter first reported the deal.
The 28-year-old Butler is a Vicksburg, Mississippi, native who went undrafted out of West Alabama but spent the past four seasons with the Patriots. Butler started 48 of his 59 games and has eight career interceptions. He was the hero of New England’s Super Bowl win after the 2014 season, intercepting a pass to seal the 28-24 victory over Seattle.
The New Orleans Saints pursued Butler as a restricted free agent last year, but the trade price was too high.
The cornerback was well-respected in the Patriots’ locker room and played last season under a $3.9 million tender offer. After a slow start, he ended up playing 98 percent of New England’s defensive snaps and finished the season with two interceptions.
Butler started the Patriots’ first two playoff games before he was mysteriously benched for the Super Bowl. He played only one snap — on special teams — in New England’s 41-33 loss to Philadelphia. Butler later denied any off-field misconduct, saying he never missed a curfew or did anything to hurt the Patriots’ chances.