Anquan Boldin to retire if cut

[HoldingCall]

[quote name='ArmyRavensFan' timestamp='1360382255' post='1351241']
I fully agree. By investing that much in a QB, you are saying that the offense is going to carry the team. The losses have to come from the defense becuase you must surround Joe with talent...specifically WRs and O-Line. We have seen what happens when Flacco has no one to throw to wether that be becuase of scheme or talent.
[/quote]

It will be a big mistake to chip away at the Raven's defense. Look how the defense handled the NFL's number one offense in New England during the playoffs. Are the Ravens planning to follow in the Patriots footsteps to the same extent?

[Tank 92]

[quote name='Ravens2013ornothing' timestamp='1360397548' post='1351499']
Boldin will not retire, if the Ravens cut him I gurantee it! IMPOSSIBLE. He is only 32, he can play at least another 2-3 years at a high level. He is in my opionion the most PHYSICAL WR in football. Why wouldnt you make another 7 mil plus in the next 2 seasons if not more. If he rather get cut, and this is true, Ravens better capatilze pay what you owe, and sign himto a 2 year deal for a reasonable deal with the intent of Q knowing we gonna get one more before he leaves.


resign Boldin.....if he wants to retire, we can talk him in to a good 2 year deal knowing we gonna get one more.

resign Ellerbe and Pitta....the market does not really recognize them like we do...so we must take advantage of this now because in the future there price will go up.

Kruger will be tough as well as carry williams...im interested to see how this plays out, but I expect they will be able to get the most out of all players.

Reed, I hope he stays but it will ultimately be up to him, it will come down to what he wants right now and what he wants when he retires.

Mckinne...this is a no brainer with birk cashing out.
[/quote]


Following logic, this..........

[gotekiraven]

Chris Trapasso over at the Bleacher Report makes the perfect case for why the Ravens need to keep Boldin.

[url="http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1522131-why-baltimore-ravens-must-not-cut-anquan-boldin"]http://bleacherrepor...t-anquan-boldin[/url]

Joe even called Q's catch in the fourth quarter with 3rd and inches the biggest catch of the game.

[url="http://www.latimes.com/sports/sportsnow/la-sp-sn-anquan-boldin-super-bowl-20130204,0,7337751.story"]http://www.latimes.c...0,7337751.story[/url]

[Tiz]

[quote name='Ravens2013ornothing' timestamp='1360397548' post='1351499']
Boldin will not retire, if the Ravens cut him I gurantee it! IMPOSSIBLE. He is only 32, he can play at least another 2-3 years at a high level. He is in my opionion the most PHYSICAL WR in football. Why wouldnt you make another 7 mil plus in the next 2 seasons if not more. If he rather get cut, and this is true, Ravens better capatilze pay what you owe, and sign himto a 2 year deal for a reasonable deal with the intent of Q knowing we gonna get one more before he leaves.


resign Boldin.....if he wants to retire, we can talk him in to a good 2 year deal knowing we gonna get one more.

resign Ellerbe and Pitta....the market does not really recognize them like we do...so we must take advantage of this now because in the future there price will go up.

Kruger will be tough as well as carry williams...im interested to see how this plays out, but I expect they will be able to get the most out of all players.

Reed, I hope he stays but it will ultimately be up to him, it will come down to what he wants right now and what he wants when he retires.

Mckinne...this is a no brainer with birk cashing out.
[/quote]

Its not a matter of if he can play another few years even if cut.
Its about whether he wants to play elsewhere
Just because he is 32 doesn't mean he still doesn't want to walk away. He wouldn't be the first one to leave while being productive.

[arnie_uk]

A lot of people are missing the point. I think everyone wants boldin here, just not at a cap number of 7.5 mil. I think we all want him extended to lower the number, otherwise cut

[PolishRifle]

[quote name='arnie_uk' timestamp='1360419245' post='1351579']
A lot of people are missing the point. I think everyone wants boldin here, just not at a cap number of 7.5 mil. I think we all want him extended to lower the number, otherwise cut
[/quote]

No doubt, that Q deserves a lot of credit for our playoff run, but I do agree with you, that considering our young talent at WR like Torrey Smith and the great improvements he made to the way he plays, we really need to keep investing into the future. That new Ravens team in 2013 might end up being very young.

[display name]

[url="http://static.themetapicture.com/media/funny-cat-omg-face-surprised-photobomb.jpg"]http://static.themetapicture.com/media/funny-cat-omg-face-surprised-photobomb.jpg[/url]
That's my man Q. It will be much easier to keep him knowing this.

[display name]

[quote name='arnie_uk' timestamp='1360419245' post='1351579']
A lot of people are missing the point. I think everyone wants boldin here, just not at a cap number of 7.5 mil. I think we all want him extended to lower the number, otherwise cut
[/quote]
And it seems to me as though he will be willing to take less.

[berad]

[quote name='Pats' timestamp='1360394030' post='1351465']
he's just saying this for a bargaining chip to stay with the ravens while getting paid well, if for whatever reason he isn't resigned he would go to another top team like the 49ers or maybe pittsburgh or seattle
[/quote]

Where is the leverage in saying you'll retire if cut?

[BMORE_96]

To be honest, I am a firm believer that alot of guys will be gone to make room for flacco. And it also seems there is some depth on the team that we did not know existed. Tandon Doss comes to mind and the development of Thompson or Streeter(our 6'5 4.4 wide reciever who has immense potential). Similar to the depth at defensive end like mcphee or jones and Kruger's emergence.

And Boldin is, as of now, our third costliest player. Guys had the same objections with the purge of 2011 and the inablity to sign JJ and grubbs last year. We must move on and look to the future. How can younger guys prove themselves if veterans are always starting? It is the circle of NFL life and Boldin knows this?

If the FO was going to keep boldin, there would not be any rumors of them cutting him.We must get younger, and look to not just repeat, but to contend for as long as we can.

[GrimCoconut]

[quote name='berad' timestamp='1360424312' post='1351632']


Where is the leverage in saying you'll retire if cut?
[/quote]
I really have no idea.

I have said it before and I will repeat: we have Pitta, Dickson, Reed, Boldin & JJ all as free agents next year. We have Leach as a free agent as well. How can we retain all of those players? We can't.

I just don't like 2014 if we do all this. We'll be investing a ton of money into our WR corps & draft picks who won't play.

And for those of you who say forget the defense, we're an offensive team. Well, that doesn't make sense. You don't become strong in one area to sacrifice another. That's absolutely dumb. You need balance to win a SB.

In fact, the best way to win another SB is to have a defense that can be fast & aggressive. That's the best defense for our team now. If we are going heavy on offense, you want playmakers on defense who are quick who can force turnovers & also 3-&-outs to give it to our offense more. That's how you can be dominant.

[TheRavenouseD2008]

his comments about wanting to repeat make me think this is a call to lower his cost so he can stay and I think our Locker room is Mega Different then others , its not about the Benjamins its about the TEAM and CITY to them.

[jberta1]

Anquan has been my favorite player since his early years at Florida State. I would hope he wouldn't retire out of the blue, he has the make-up of a Raven.

[Raven07]

Boldin when it matters "...Flacco completed seven-of-10 third-down throws for 158 yards and two touchdowns, including four-of-four and a touchdown targeting [url="http://espn.go.com/nfl/player/_/id/4512/anquan-boldin"]Anquan Boldin[/url]. Boldin entered the game with just one third-down touchdown reception in 105 career third-down targets with the Ravens.

Boldin also became more of a threat near the goal line in the playoffs. He caught four-of-four passes thrown into the end zone during the postseason, including a 13-yard touchdown reception to open the scoring. Compare that to the regular season, when he caught three of 10 end-zone targets.

Teammate [url="http://espn.go.com/nfl/player/_/id/10517/jacoby-jones"]Jacoby Jones[/url] was also a significant threat. Jones scored on a 56-yard reception with 1:45 left in the second quarter, giving the Ravens a 21-3 lead. The pass traveled 47 yards downfield, giving him two touchdowns this postseason on throws at least 40 yards downfield. He is the first player since [url="http://espn.go.com/nfl/player/_/id/5528/larry-fitzgerald"]Larry Fitzgerald[/url] in 2008 to score two touchdowns on such passes in a single postseason...."


[url="http://espn.go.com/blog/statsinfo/post/_/id/61395/flacco-dominant-downfield-against-niners"]http://espn.go.com/blog/statsinfo/post/_/id/61395/flacco-dominant-downfield-against-niners[/url]

[Ravens_fan]

not looking forward to the casualties of this off season...

[GrimCoconut]

[quote name='Raven07' timestamp='1360427984' post='1351697']
Boldin when it matters "...Flacco completed seven-of-10 third-down throws for 158 yards and two touchdowns, including four-of-four and a touchdown targeting [url="http://espn.go.com/nfl/player/_/id/4512/anquan-boldin"]Anquan Boldin[/url]. Boldin entered the game with just one third-down touchdown reception in 105 career third-down targets with the Ravens.

Boldin also became more of a threat near the goal line in the playoffs. He caught four-of-four passes thrown into the end zone during the postseason, including a 13-yard touchdown reception to open the scoring. Compare that to the regular season, when he caught three of 10 end-zone targets.

Teammate [url="http://espn.go.com/nfl/player/_/id/10517/jacoby-jones"]Jacoby Jones[/url] was also a significant threat. Jones scored on a 56-yard reception with 1:45 left in the second quarter, giving the Ravens a 21-3 lead. The pass traveled 47 yards downfield, giving him two touchdowns this postseason on throws at least 40 yards downfield. He is the first player since [url="http://espn.go.com/nfl/player/_/id/5528/larry-fitzgerald"]Larry Fitzgerald[/url] in 2008 to score two touchdowns on such passes in a single postseason...."
[url="http://espn.go.com/blog/statsinfo/post/_/id/61395/flacco-dominant-downfield-against-niners"]http://espn.go.com/b...-against-niners[/url]
[/quote]
I don't think anyone is saying Boldin hasn't been great. He's been awesome. So has JJ.

Let me ask you a question: you're the GM of the Ravens. Boldin is due 7.5M, JJ 4M, Smith is in his junior year, David Reed is an RFA, Pitta is an RFA, Dickson's an RFA, Deonte Thompson is a cheap sophomore who has shown promise as a ST KR/PR & even at WR. Tommy Streeter & Tandon Doss are two WRs you drafted in the 2012 NFL draft in the 6th & the 2011 NFL Draft in the 4th. We also have LQW who a lot of people like as well.

I just don't know how this works out. Let's say we let Dickson go, extend Pitta. Okay, so that frees up some cap. Then we let Reed go. We cut Williams. Losing Reed & Williams could hurt our ST but we need roster space. The Ravens don't cut draft picks, so Doss & Streeter are going nowhere. Let's say we keep Boldin & JJ by extension/restructure. That gives us a WR corps of:

Smith, Boldin, JJ, Doss, Streeter, Thompson. Smith is a free agent in 2015, so we can't make all of these contracts for too long. Perhaps Boldin's done by then. Okay. So, who are we losing to keep those guys & also have money for Flacco every year? They said the cap won't go up much in 2013 or even 2014.

So, I just don't see how we can keep JJ, Boldin, & Pitta without seriously becoming unbalanced as a team, which I think is not the way to win a championship. I think we would need to decide between Boldin & JJ unless Boldin's retiring after 2013. Then perhaps we could take some dead money, but not a lot since we would need to re-sign at least some of our 2014 free agents such as Michael Oher, Leach (if not cut), Arthur Jones, etc.

[jar2260]

I really hope we can keep Q, really a tough receiver, one that we can count on!

[UMDan]

If he's that loyal to this time I don't see why he wouldn't be willing to restructure... if we bother reaching out to him.

[Brock397]

Maybe he will take less money to stay and play instead of retiring. Hope so Boldin is a beast and i don't believe Doss can take his spot

[1/28/01]

Decipher machine says: "Im good, but I know I'm older. Pay me something decent for 2 or 3 years and let's go get another!"

Thats what I heard!

[Guest Mr. Nobody]

[quote name='1/28/01' timestamp='1360439726' post='1351949']
Decipher machine says: "Im good, but I know I'm older. Pay me something decent for 2 or 3 years and let's go get another!"

Thats what I heard!
[/quote]

hear hear same here lol

[Raven07]

[quote name='1/28/01' timestamp='1360439726' post='1351949']
Decipher machine says: "Im good, but I know I'm older. Pay me something decent for 2 or 3 years and let's go get another!"

Thats what I heard!
[/quote]
hear hear! extend his contract another 2 years or so , so that his cap isn't quite as much.

[marylandmike12]

I really hope we sign him I don't think doss is as good as Q

[1/28/01]

[quote name='horus13corvineus' timestamp='1360439884' post='1351956']


hear hear same here lol
[/quote]

[quote name='Raven07' timestamp='1360440530' post='1351974']

hear hear! extend his contract another 2 years or so , so that his cap isn't quite as much.
[/quote]

Our FO is too smart. You dont outright cut a guy with his production and who contributed that much to a SB! He just said I'll take less. It'll get done, guaranteed!

[cobrajet]

Boldin is one of my favorite Ravens. We need Ellerbe more than any FA (beside Joe of course) but it would hurt me bad if Q is not back next year.

[Nge2grads]

Q has long been one of my favorite Ravens. I am hoping that Joe will be reasonable and realize he needs the horses who will work with and for him to be part of a winning team. Q battles for incredible catches. I hope Ozzie works his magic and Q happily remains an essential part of the Ravens roster!

[ArmyRavensFan]

I dont think people are missing the point. I think we all get it that if we could we would keep Boldin but the cap situation makes it difficult. What people are arguing is where the cuts need to come from. I am arguing that Boldin is more important player than some others. At least if you are going to pay the QB that much money. Whether I agree with paying Flacco or any player more than 16 million is a different discussion.

[quote name='arnie_uk' timestamp='1360419245' post='1351579']
A lot of people are missing the point. I think everyone wants boldin here, just not at a cap number of 7.5 mil. I think we all want him extended to lower the number, otherwise cut
[/quote]

[ArmyRavensFan]

What young talent at wide receiver? Other than Torrey Smith the rest are 4th or 7th round draft picks and undrafted free agents. Most have been given some opportunities and didnt succeed. I am not saying that they wont suceed in the future but right I do not think the team can make that gamble.

[quote name='PolishRifle' timestamp='1360419953' post='1351586']
No doubt, that Q deserves a lot of credit for our playoff run, but I do agree with you, that considering our young talent at WR like Torrey Smith and the great improvements he made to the way he plays, we really need to keep investing into the future. That new Ravens team in 2013 might end up being very young.
[/quote]

[ArmyRavensFan]

If the Ravens pay Flacco 18-20 million a year then the Ravens made the decision to go become completely unbalanced. There is no other reason to do so. They are gambling that the offense can get it done. If the Ravens want to stay balanced, then they do not pay any QB that much money.

[quote name='GrimCoconut' timestamp='1360428826' post='1351709']

So, I just don't see how we can keep JJ, Boldin, & Pitta without seriously becoming unbalanced as a team, which I think is not the way to win a championship. I think we would need to decide between Boldin & JJ unless Boldin's retiring after 2013. Then perhaps we could take some dead money, but not a lot since we would need to re-sign at least some of our 2014 free agents such as Michael Oher, Leach (if not cut), Arthur Jones, etc.
[/quote]

[Bltravens]

[quote name='ArmyRavensFan' timestamp='1360449442' post='1352189']
If the Ravens pay Flacco 18-20 million a year then the Ravens made the decision to go become completely unbalanced. There is no other reason to do so. They are gambling that the offense can get it done. If the Ravens want to stay balanced, then they do not pay any QB that much money.
[/quote]
They're going to have to though to keep Flacco. Im holding out hope Flacco accepts 16-18 a year. Reports I've read said Flacco wanted consistent money each year, nothing front or back loaded. Though Linta said the other day that their goal wasn't to handcuff the Ravens (which was nice hearing from an agent).

However, we have to resign Flacco it's not even an option really. We're going to have to go young on defense and hope Pees coaches them on their assignments extremely well and roll the dice that Ngata and Suggs can help control the LOS and Webb will come back and keep the secondary strong. Other than those 3 it's going to be alot of young guys on defense that need to make plays for us. Upshaw, Smith, Brown, Jones, Tyson, Ellerbe, McPhee. Then whomever we take in the draft. Those are the kinds of names you'll get used to hearing on defense on Sundays. The one thing I really liked about the last 2 drafts is all the guys we've taken, regardless of draft position have played on Sundays on defense in some capacity and played well.