Don't expect to see Anquan Boldin in anything other than a Ravens uniform next season as the 32-year-old wide receiver said he would retire rather than play for another team, according to Erik Kuselias Sr. of NBC Sports.
Anquan Boldin wants to end career with Ravens
Baltimore wide receiver Anquan Boldin said he would retire rather than play for another team if the Ravens were forced to release him due to salary cap restraints.
USA TODAY Sports
The Ravens are in a precarious salary cap situation and may be forced to shed salaries, including Bolidn’s. In an interview with Pro Football Talk on NBC Sports, Boldin said he would retire if he was released and not able to play with Baltimore next season.
“Baltimore is the only place I want to play,” Boldin said, via the Baltimore Sun. “It’s the last place that I will play. For me, I’ll retire a Raven, I’m not putting on any other uniform. We have a saying, once a Raven, always a Raven, and I’ll always be a Raven.”
Boldin, who spent the last three seasons in Baltimore, is due to earn a base salary of $6 million next season. He's coming off his most productive season as a Raven as he caught 65 passes for 921 yards during the regular season. Despite being in his 10th season, Boldin proved to have plenty of reserves left in the tank. He caught 22 passes for 380 yards and four touchdowns during the postseason. That included six catches for 104 yards and a touchdown in the Super Bowl.
Even though the Ravens are projected to have nearly $15 million in salary cap space, they have a number of free agents, including quarterback Joe Flacco. Instead of releasing Boldin, it's possible the Ravens could instead re-work his contract to free up cap space this season. While that is an option, the Baltimore Sun reports the Ravens have not yet approached Boldin about reworking his deal.
His age and large contract make him a target for release, but as SB Nation’s Ravens blog Baltimore Beatdown wrote, keeping Boldin should be one of Baltimore’s top offseason priorities. Not only did Boldin prove to be capable of still being highly productive, but losing him would mean Flacco would have to adjust to being without his go-to receiver.
See More:
