It happened right after the Giants officially announced the signing of Nate Solder on Thursday. Pat Shurmur, the Giants’ new head coach, called Ereck Flowers to deliver a message: You are no longer the left tackle.
“Said, ‘Listen, we’re going to move you to right, and at the end of the day, the five best offensive linemen play,’ ’’ general manager Dave Gettleman said, recounting the conversation. “That’s where they left it, and Ereck was fine on the phone.”
There was no promise Flowers would be the starting right tackle, only that he will compete for the starting job, with whomever else the Giants find to join the battle. The Giants would like Flowers to emerge as the winner and believe that he can.
“Absolutely,” Gettleman said. “He’s a big, strong, powerful kid and it’s just a matter of getting used to playing over there.”
If Flowers, the 2015 first-round draft pick, fared better at left tackle, the Giants would not have been forced to empty the vault to sign Solder. The blind-side protector of Tom Brady the past seven years with the Patriots received a four-year, $62 million mega-deal.
“We had such a great experience in New England, we love those people, they’ve taken great care of us,’’ said Solder, who played in four Super Bowls with the Patriots, winning two and losing two. “It was hard to leave. We had a lot of success there, and hopefully coming here that we’ll have the same.”
Solder becomes the centerpiece for the offensive line rebuild Gettleman promised and is delivering.
“We’re just very, very pleased that he wanted to come here,’’ Gettleman said. “He’s genuinely excited about it, which is important to me, obviously. Every decision that comes out of the GM’s office sends a message and I think this is a very strong statement.”
Solder will anchor a brand-new left side of the line, with Patrick Omameh expected to start at left guard. Omameh, 28, agreed to a three-year contract worth $15 million, with $5.5 guaranteed, and that deal is commensurate with a starting offensive lineman. Omameh has 45 NFL starts on his résumé, including 13 last season for the Jaguars, who were interested in bringing him back until they landed Andrew Norwell — the top guard on the free-agent market.