- Thread starter
- #1
FSUViking
New Member
- Joined
- Mar 23, 2006
- Messages
- 469
- Reaction score
- 0
A CHANGE OF HEART FOR ANQUAN
Posted by Mike Florio on February 19, 2009, 2:31 p.m.
[Editor’s note: The following story is a re-write of a version of this item that somehow got expunged from the server during our ongoing technical difficulties, which need to be resolved soon or I’m going to be repeatedly banging my face into some tech geek’s bony fist. . . . Again.]
Not long ago, Cardinals receiver Anquan Boldin made clear his desire to leave the team. He told his agent, Drew Rosenhaus, to inform the franchise that he would not accept a new contract, and that he wanted only to be traded.
Since then, Boldin has had a dramatic change of heart.
Per a league source, Boldin has informed the Cardinals that he will entertain a contract extension.
We’re told that Boldin is looking for a fair deal, in light of the current market. Though no specific numbers have emerged, the Cardinals set the high-water mark last March, giving a four-year, $40 million deal to receiver Larry Fitzgerald.
Other receivers, such as Randy Moss of the Patriots, have contracts that pay at a rate of $9 million annually.
The question becomes whether the Cardinals will invest high-end money into a pair of high-end pass-catchers. The Lions decided against such an approach last year, trading Roy Williams to the Cowboys in lieu of paying him like Calvin Johnson.
The Cowboys, in turn, paired Williams with Terrell Owens.
In our view, it was smart for Boldin to soften his stance. As a practical matter, he could say or do nothing to force a trade. If the Cardinals are going to decide to move him, they need to come to that conclusion without Boldin jumping up and down about how he wants an Oompa Loompa now. (Yeah, we stole that one from Rome. It’s technically an homage. Not that there’s anything wrong with that.)
In the end, the Cardinals might decide that trading Boldin is the best move the franchise can make. By opening his mind to all options, Boldin necessarily has removed one of the potential impediments to such an outcome.
Posted by Mike Florio on February 19, 2009, 2:31 p.m.
[Editor’s note: The following story is a re-write of a version of this item that somehow got expunged from the server during our ongoing technical difficulties, which need to be resolved soon or I’m going to be repeatedly banging my face into some tech geek’s bony fist. . . . Again.]
Not long ago, Cardinals receiver Anquan Boldin made clear his desire to leave the team. He told his agent, Drew Rosenhaus, to inform the franchise that he would not accept a new contract, and that he wanted only to be traded.
Since then, Boldin has had a dramatic change of heart.
Per a league source, Boldin has informed the Cardinals that he will entertain a contract extension.
We’re told that Boldin is looking for a fair deal, in light of the current market. Though no specific numbers have emerged, the Cardinals set the high-water mark last March, giving a four-year, $40 million deal to receiver Larry Fitzgerald.
Other receivers, such as Randy Moss of the Patriots, have contracts that pay at a rate of $9 million annually.
The question becomes whether the Cardinals will invest high-end money into a pair of high-end pass-catchers. The Lions decided against such an approach last year, trading Roy Williams to the Cowboys in lieu of paying him like Calvin Johnson.
The Cowboys, in turn, paired Williams with Terrell Owens.
In our view, it was smart for Boldin to soften his stance. As a practical matter, he could say or do nothing to force a trade. If the Cardinals are going to decide to move him, they need to come to that conclusion without Boldin jumping up and down about how he wants an Oompa Loompa now. (Yeah, we stole that one from Rome. It’s technically an homage. Not that there’s anything wrong with that.)
In the end, the Cardinals might decide that trading Boldin is the best move the franchise can make. By opening his mind to all options, Boldin necessarily has removed one of the potential impediments to such an outcome.
