Giants OT Nate Solder: Proposed CBA 'Great Deal' for Players

Solder: "Minimum salaries would go up significantly, with bumped-up benefits for current players and retired players."

Giants offensive tackle Nate Solder came out in favor of the NFL's proposed collective bargaining agreement on Monday, saying the potential agreement is a "great deal for the core players."

"Minimum salaries would go up significantly, with bumped-up benefits for current players and retired players," Solder said, according to NBCSports' Peter King. "We'd increase the practice squad [from 10 to 14 by 2022]. Work rules would improve. I don't think it's perfect, but we're making incremental gains on player health and safety. Some players have fallen victim to the thought if we turn this down, we'll get something better. We might, but we might not."

Solder's support for the proposed CBA goes against the opinion of many prominent players. Russell Wilson, J.J. Watt and Aaron Rodgers have voiced their opposition to the CBA, largely taking umbrage with a potential 17th game. 

New York's lineman said he is trying to represent the NFL's less notable players with his support for the CBA. 

"You have a couple of guys on Twitter who have millions of followers criticizing the deal. Other guys who support it might have 5,000 followers," Solder said. "Their voices aren't loud. In some ways, I'm trying to be a voice for the voiceless." 

The player reps for each team voted 17–14–1 to approve the proposed CBA on Feb. 26. The entire NFLPA membership will vote on the CBA within the coming weeks.