Anquan Boldin: "Bold-Ly" Going Where Many Have Gone Before

By Wayne Lin, editor for Fantasy Football Maniaxs.com

“Show me the money!” 

Such were the unspoken words of wide receiver Anquan Boldin.  Boldin, a sixth year receiver out of Florida State, finds himself in the middle of a nasty dispute with the Arizona front office once again, stemming from issues with the Cardinals granting a four-year contract extension to Larry Fitzgerald. 

In March, Larry Fitzgerald signed the $40 million deal with the Cardinals, with $30 million of it guaranteed.  This time, does Boldin have a legitimate argument to be upset?

Let’s examine their numbers:

In 2005, Boldin averaged 99.9 yards per game and netted seven touchdowns.  That same year, Fitzgerald averaged 88.1 yards a game, but had 10 touchdowns. 

In 2006, Boldin regressed with his touchdown totals only netting four, but he still had a 1000+ yard season averaging 75.2 yards a game.  Fitzgerald didn’t do that much better with touchdowns (six), but he averaged 72.4 yards a game, en route to a 941-yard season. 

Now, take us into 2007, a contract year for many wide receivers.  Fitzgerald arguably had his best season last season, blowing up with 1,409 yards receiving and 10 touchdowns.  That granted him a large payday in March. 

Where does that leave Boldin?  He had his payday in 2005.  Boldin regressed slightly in 2007 gaining 857 yards, with nine touchdowns, but here’s where this gets dicey; he only played in 12 games due to an injury.  That’s not bad for a wide receiver on any team…if he played the entire season.

Where this argument gets fun is why Boldin, with good numbers, hasn’t gotten an extension to the likes of Fitzgerald.  It was proven in 2005 and 2006 that Boldin statistically had the better numbers, and could have had better numbers in 2007 if he had played the entire season. 

Boldin signed a four-year contract in 2005 worth only $22.27 million extending into 2010.  He hasn’t disappointed since receiving his revised contract in 2005, for fantasy owners, or for his team.

His assertion that he “will not re-sign with the team,” is grounded on the basis of anger about what’s fair to compensate players for their performance.  Kurt Warner’s also said as much in recent days.  For proof of that, check here: http://www.eastvalleytribune.com/story/121633

Numbers don’t lie in this instance. 

While I am not demeaning Larry Fitzgerald or saying he didn’t deserve the contract extension, I am simply saying Boldin is equally deserving of a contract with equal or better compensation to that of Fitzgerald. 

So, does Boldin have a reason to be angry? 

Yes, but let’s look at the other side of the coin.  He signed a four-year contract extension in his third year of play.

If you know wide receivers in the NFL, the third year is typically a miracle year where their numbers are extremely good that they warrant a new contract. 

Was he too early in pulling the trigger on signing in 2005?  Possibly, but his performances since then should have necessitated a contract rework.  After all, he does have the most prolific agent in football, Drew Rosenhaus.  

Contract negotiations may hit a snag because the Cardinals are almost at this season’s salary cap, which could spell doom for Boldin if a deal is going to be reworked, guaranteeing him more money. 

If a deal is reworked, Boldin’s career will obviously be extended past 2010 and could possibly surpass Fitzgerald’s extension, through 2012. If Boldin gets franchised, he would either get paid less or pay back a substantial amount of money. 

Either way the pie is sliced, hearts will be hurt in the end. The question is which heart, and when. You can blame that on cap space…or Boldin signing early.   

Whichever way you side is open to interpretation of the individual; however, consider what you have in front of you.

You have a player who performed above standards (who could be the No. 1 wide receiver on most teams), a team whose cap space was perhaps spent a little too prematurely on a player who, in some instances, performed less than Boldin, or the non-willingness of the management to work out a contract negotiation. 

The money that Boldin isn’t directly asking for is there.  The only problem is, he got it in 2005. Of course, he couldn’t know how he’d perform in the seasons following, but he did make it a point (to everyone in management), of his success on the field and off. 

Could this pose a problem with the Cardinals this season? Probably not, but remember, as Kurt Warner said, “How do you put language in the contract that speaks to both sides?”  Exactly, how can you?  You can’t.

The pay should reflect the play, and in essence, Boldin’s contract should reflect as much.  $22.75 million is a lot of money and that ranks him, with his annual salary, as the 10th highest paid wide receiver in the league.  He’s no Randy Moss by any stretch of the means in regard to pay.

Perhaps Boldin not signing again with the Cardinals will be a benefit to free up cap space.  With him “not talking to the Cards anymore,” that reality could come right around the corner. 

With the Dallas Cowboys releasing Terry Glenn on the day of training camp, I’m sure Jerry Jones would be in the market for a second wide receiver to play alongside Terrell Owens. 

The difference between the Cowboys and the Cardinals is that the Cowboys have plenty of cap space to work with, and wouldn’t you believe Owens and Boldin both have the same agent? 

Is it so hard for players to wait out signing on a contract until their time is nearing an end?  After all, part of the reason the Cardinals are in the bad cap space situation they’re in is because Boldin signed his deal in 2005. 

Patience is a virtue when playing with the market no matter what team you are, big market or small.  Salaries are constantly on the rise, and what was a great looking contract deal in 2005 could be a bad looking deal in 2008.

I think I’ve stressed that point with the menial contract Boldin received in 2005, and the whopping contract Fitzgerald received this season. 

“Show me the money!” Well, it may not be in Arizona.