Earlier today, it was announced that WR Anquan Boldin will be traded to the 49er's for a 6th round pick. Rapid reactions out of Baltimore fans basically ridiculed Ozzie and the Raven's organization for allowing such a trade to occur, and at first, their arguments seem logical. Boldin was coming off of a great season, with an historical playoff run ending with a Super Bowl victory.
Boldin has played for the Raven's for the past 3 years, and quickly became a fan favorite by playing a very Raven-like style of football (tough, work every down, never give up). In his three seasons, Boldin only missed 3 games. He caught 186 passes, for 2,654 yards and 14 touchdowns. Including the post season you can add on another 38 receptions, another 616 yards and 6 touchdowns. He quickly became Flacco's go-to-reciever in critical situations, and notched a majority of his receptions in the 4th quarter, or clutch scenario's.
Given these stats, and the all around love of Boldin with in the organization, this trade, at first glance, does not sit well with many people. However if you look at the team as a whole, the younger players, and Baltimore's history, the trade could have been expected. The Raven's were sitting with 12 million in cap space, with the desire to retain young talent, and a 32 year old receiver, with one year left on his contract, and a 6 million dollar cap number. The Raven's reportedly asked Boldin to take a pay cut, which he declined. With contract negotiations at a stand-still, impending free-agency starting in several hours, and the desire to keep the young core together, a move needed to be made.
The Raven's had several options:
- Cut Boldin, save 6 million dollars on the cap, and use that to sign the likes of Ellerbe/Kruger/Pitta.
- Trade Boldin for an early round draft pick, retain the 6 million dollar cap hit, and potentially lose all free-agents.
- Or, they could trade Boldin for a late round pick, dump the salary, and have more room to negotiate with Ellerbe/Kruger/Pitta.
Losing Boldin is tough to stomach for many fans, but in the long run, it really was the best option. Boldin is an aging player, with a 1 year contract and a huge salary cap number. It would have been hard to find a team willing to pay that high of a salary while only being guaranteed one year of service, and to give up anything higher than a 6th round pick. In the past, General Manager Ozzie Newsome, and the Raven's organization have done well in the later stages of the draft.
The Ravens will look for TE Pitta to take over as Flacco's go to guy on the inside, and they will put the burden on WR Doss to take over with strong hands on the outside. This trade is hard to stomach, but the move makes sense for the Raven's long term plans.
