BLOOMINGTON, Minn. — Since 2011, when he was selected in the first round by the , former Colorado standout Nate Solder has been tethered to the northeast. His job is there, as a mainstay on the Patriots’ offensive line. And his life is there, where his son Hudson is battling a rare form of kidney cancer and continues to receive treatment at Boston’s Jimmy Fund Clinic.
“It’s hard to put into words, but you just evaluate things differently,” Nate said of his son’s cancer fight. “You prioritize things differently and I just feel so much more fortunate and lucky for every single chance I get.”
Hudson, 2, was diagnosed in 2015 — about a year-and-a-half after Nate was diagnosed with testicular cancer. Nate underwent surgery to have the testicle removed days later and has since helped the Patriots to two victories.
After Super Bowl LII, Hudson will undergo another round of treatment. And soon after that, when the new season begins in March, Solder will have a weighty decision to make, and likely plenty of options to choose. The two-year contract extension he signed with the Patriots will expire and he’ll hit free agency as one of, if not the, most coveted tackle on the market.
There’s certainly the chance the Patriots re-sign him (according to former agent and current CBS analyst Joel Corry, Solder prohibiting the team from using a franchise or transition tag on him) and keep him and his family in Boston where there’s more than football. There’s also speculation he may retire.
But the Broncos, his hometown team, need a tackle and pursuing ’s longtime blindside protector could be in the cards. (Most options are for Denver right now.)
Denver drafted Garett Bolles in the first round last year to take over the left side of the line, and it signed Menelik Watson to man the right side. But an injury cut short Watson’s season and his return to the starting role is hardly guaranteed. He’s due $5.5 million in salary in 2018 and has a dead money value of about $2.7 million that would count against the team’s salary cap if he’s released. His backup, , will be a free agent.
Could Solder be their guy? Maybe. At a hefty price.
Solder’s 2017 salary was a little more than $10 million and, as Corry other tackles signed for much more on the open market last year. (Former Bronco Russell Okung landed more than $13 million a year from the Chargers.)
But, for now, the Denver native said he has other things on his mind.
“I haven’t thought about it,” he said. “My focus has been totally on this season.”
