Background and career
Nathaniel Perry Solder (born April 12, 1988) is an American former professional football player who was an offensive tackle in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Colorado Buffaloes, and was recognized as a consensus All-American. Solder was selected by the New England Patriots in the first round of the 2011 NFL draft and won two Super Bowls as a member of the team.
Solder was born in Denver, Colorado. He attended Buena Vista High School in Buena Vista, Colorado, where he played tight end for the Buena Vista Demons high school football team.
In the Spring 2006, Solder signed a letter of intent to attend the University of Colorado, where he played for the Colorado Buffaloes football team from 2006 to 2010. Recruited as a tight end, Solder red-shirted in 2006. In 2007, he played at tight end, catching three passes for 50 yards. As a red-shirt sophomore, Solder was asked to bulk up and shift from tight end to tackle: he quickly won a spot in the starting offensive line, a position Solder would keep for the rest of his Colorado career, starting every game over the next three seasons. In his junior season: he again started every game, and was named a fourth-team All-American by College Football Insiders. Solder came to Colorado as a redshirt freshman in 2006 as a 6' 7" and 230-pound tight end; by 2009, he was listed at 6' 9" and 305 pounds. Solder was one of three finalists for the 2010 Outland Trophy, along with Gabe Carimi and Rodney Hudson; Carimi won. Jon Gruden of ESPN said that Solder "has a huge upside. But remember he's a converted tight end and a work in progress." Following Christmas 2009, Solder traveled to Guatemala and volunteered at an orphanage; as a sophomore, he went to Italy during the summer to help rebuild a town after it suffered many collapses from an earthquake. At CU, Solder regularly participated in the "Read with the Buffs" and "Buffalo Hugs" programs.
The New England Patriots made Solder the second offensive tackle chosen in the 2011 NFL draft (after Tyron Smith) when they drafted him 17th overall, with the pick they received from the Oakland Raiders in a 2009 trade for Richard Seymour. Solder had a private workout with Patriots offensive line coach Dante Scarnecchia just a few days before the draft. Solder signed a contract on August 4, 2011; per the new CBA, it was a four-year deal worth $8.54 million including a $4.7 million signing bonus. Solder played his first regular season game against the Miami Dolphins on September 12 and allowed just one sack against Pro Bowler Cameron Wake. Solder was on the active roster for all of the Patriots' games, and started 13 of 16 regular-season games. In some of those games he filled in for right tackle Sebastian Vollmer; when both Vollmer and left tackle Matt Light were healthy, Solder was used primarily as an additional tight end (making him a tackle eligible). During the regular season, Solder allowed just three sacks, four pressures, and five penalties on 880 snaps, according to Pro Football Focus. At the end of the 2011 season, Solder and the Patriots appeared in Super Bowl XLVI. He started the game, but the Patriots once again lost to the New York Giants, this time by a score of 21–17.
In 2012, after Light's retirement, Solder became the Patriots' starting left tackle. He started every game of the season, and played 1,234 snaps on offense, the highest of any offensive player in the NFL. Counting special teams, Solder played 1,333 snaps, second only to fellow Patriots lineman Ryan Wendell.
After the 2013 season, the Patriots exercised their fifth-year option on Solder. During the AFC Championship Game, he caught his first career pass, resulting in a 16-yard touchdown. Despite an up and down regular season, Solder had an excellent postseason and won his first Super Bowl with the Patriots, who had won their first Super Bowl in 10 years. In April 2015, Solder revealed that he had been diagnosed with testicular cancer after his annual team physical. Doctors removed the affected testicle, and, after missing a few weeks of off-season activities, Solder went on to start every game for the Patriots in the 2014 season. He is one of two Patriots linemen to have been treated for cancer; fellow 2011 Patriots draftee Marcus Cannon was diagnosed with lymphoma prior to being drafted.
Sources
Net-worth figure: Celebrity Net Worth (October 2026), in USD. Biography and career facts: the person's Wikipedia article and linked reporting. Snapshot date for all StarWorth figures: 28 October 2026.
