That didn't take long— The Ravens asked Anquan Boldin to take a $2 million pay cut to remain a Raven. 'Quan said no way. Okay, said Ozzie, we're trading you to the 49ers for a 6th round pick. Boom. Done.
And now 'Quan is done as a Raven. Coming up on 33 he still has one more good year left in him. The Ravens are going to miss his big plays.
Reaction from Ravens fans over the rapid development of the Boldin trade is mixed, with a lot of bitterness being expressed by casual fans who hopped on board the Super Bowl Express just a month ago.
What they will learn is that the business side of football is cruel sometimes. Flacco had to be paid, free agents need to be signed, cap room had to be cleared. Boldin is on the wrong side of 30. Something had to give.
Fact is, Boldin will land on his feet quite nicely in San Francisco—that is, if he decides to report to his new team. He would continue to make his old money without having to take a cut, and he would be part of an NFC team that has a good chance to get back to the Super Bowl next year.
According to The Baltimore Sun, the Ravens asked Boldin to take a $2 million pay cut or be released. Boldin, who was set to have a $6 million base salary ($7.531 million salary-cap figure), reportedly rejected the offer.
Instead of releasing Boldin and getting nothing in return, the Ravens opted to reportedly ship him to Jim Harbaugh and the 49ers, the team Boldin played a large part in defeating in Super Bowl XLVII.
Boldin, 32, caught six passes for 104 passes and a touchdown in the Ravens’ 34-31 win over the 49ers. He made an impressive catch on a bomb down the sideline and hauled in a critical third-and-1 pass in the fourth quarter.
Boldin had a standout 2012 season, catching 65 passes for 921 yards (both highs during his three years in Baltimore).
He was particularly valuable in the playoffs, hauling in 22 passes for 380 yards and four touchdowns. He’s the Ravens’ all-time leader in playoff receiving yards (616) and touchdowns (six).
Boldin still sits as one of the game’s most productive players. Of all current NFL players, he ranks third in yards per game over his career (72.6), just behind Houston’s Andre Johnson and Arizona’s Larry Fitzgerald. He’s also third in average receptions per game (5.5).
With Boldin’s reported trade, the Ravens may look for 2011 fourth-round pick Tandon Doss, who has been plagued by injuries, to step into a more prominent role. They could also look to add a cheaper wide receiver via free agency or the draft.
I know Joe Flacco is not happy about losing his go-to receiver in Boldin. And I don't think Tandon Doss is the answer. Maybe Ozzie Newsome has something else in mind to replace Boldin. Suddenly speculation is re-focused on whether there's any receiver worth replacing Boldin via the draft. Maybe it is Cordarrelle Patterson, or maybe Darick Rodgers….just two guys that come to mind who might be in Ozzie's draft range, and two guys who remind me a lot of Anquan Boldin's physique and mindset.
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