Anquan Boldin-Drew Rosenhaus: Things Are...Complicated

A lot has been made out of Anquan Boldin’s recent decision to cut ties with now former agent Drew Rosenhaus.  I for one am extremely intrigued in the psyche behind this drastic decision.

First off, let’s look at what’s being said by what’s NOT being said (stay with me for a second).

Drew Rosenhaus released a statement shortly after Q made it clear that he was in the market for another agent. 

Rosenhaus is quoted by ESPN.com saying, “Regarding Anquan Boldin, let me say that I have great respect for him.  I’m hopeful we can work this out and he can return to the Rosenhaus Sports family in the near future. We are proud to continue to represent his brother, D.J. Boldin.  We would also like to take this opportunity to announce that we have signed Will Allen to a two-year contract extension with the Dolphins worth $16.2 million.  We are pleased to announce today that we have resigned New Orleans Saints tight end Jeremy Shockey (to a representation agreement).”

Wow, loaded press release.  Obviously something this convoluted and manipulative is expected from the Rosenhaus camp.  In order to dissect this statement we have to look at the character of both parties before the meltdown took place:

Anquan Boldin

Heart and soul of the Arizona Cardinals through the good times and bad.   Work ethic speaks for itself: holds multiple Cardinal records, was named the 2003 Rookie of the Year, and is a three time NFL Pro Bowler. 

His loyalty and dedication are unparalleled, he played through multiple injuries including a broken nose/face.  Up until this past season, he was never seen in a negative light by the media.  Always conducted himself graciously on and off the field.

Drew Rosenhaus

Often considered the “Slimeball” agent of the NFL.  He's unofficially patented numerous questionable business moves, including and not limited to: publicly slandering teams/front offices, forcing players to sit out of OTAs with phantom injuries, childishly reporting on player transactions/statuses through means of Twitter.

Ok, now that we have established the character lets dissect the statement. 

Rosenhaus delves into his release with the safe play—he compliments Boldin and hopes the two parties can be reunited!  Just who does Rosenhaus think he’s fooling?  His blood must be boiling. 

Q has publicly humiliated not only him but his entire company.  Drew had Q running through all the motions, it was Rosenhaus Boot Camp and Q was in for the long run…but suddenly it all just stops?  Rosenhaus doesn’t hope for a reconciliation between the two parties, in fact that’s the last thing he wants.   He wouldn’t dare risk the embarrassment (or the subtle critique on his managing style) of Q firing him again!

Anquan is basically saying that he is done with the games.  He is a football player, he wants to play football.  He finally got the long awaited wake up call. 

For a moment he put aside all the hoopla and garbage surrounding his contract and saw how Rosenhaus was slowly, but surely ruining his golden name.  Rosenhaus took every angle.  He used the Super Bowl, Fitz-Boldin comparison, and team defamation to get Q’s contract reworked.   

By no means does this mean that Anquan Boldin is not deserving of a contract extension (believe me, he’s probably the most deserving), all this means is Q has decided to take the high road.

Rosenhaus then goes on to make seemingly unrelated (but strategic) comments in the excerpt above.  Drew seems to think it was important to mention that Q’s brother, D.J., is currently associated with the “Rosenhaus Family”.   

I’m not sure if Rosenhaus is trying to create some type of rift between the Boldin brothers, or if he’s merely making an arbitrary point that D.J. seems to think Rosenhaus is sufficient enough to employee.  I tend to think the latter than the former. 

However, I’m not sure how the two players relate at all (blood aside for a moment).  D.J. is an undrafted NFL rookie that later signed to arguably the worst team in the NFL as a free agent.  Q is one of the most dominant players at his position. 

The fact that an unsigned rookie is a part of the “Rosenhaus Family” has nothing to do with Anquan Boldin and the restructuring of his contract.  Just the fact that Rosenhaus decided to leave that in his press release is a bit disgusting (but not uncharacteristic).

The excerpt then gives updates on two recently signed players, Shockey and Allen.  Obviously this was meant to irk Anquan Boldin.  Indirectly it’s saying, “Look, I haven’t lost anything. 

I just got done signing Allen to a huge deal…and one of the most marketable players in the league in Jeremy Shockey thinks I’m a good enough to employee…so eat it, Anquan!”  I find this manipulative garbage sickening.

The bottom-line is Rosenhaus was not getting it done.  Q has been wanting his contract to be restructured for a year now and nothing has come to be.  He’s jumped through all of Rosenhaus’ hoops and has nothing to show but a tarnished image.

I’ll be honest, I am real excited that Q has gotten rid of that scumbag Rosenhaus and  I’m sure a lot of Cardinal fans are too.  Q has been a fan favorite for a long time and if the front office doesn’t realize they need to restructure things to show appreciation for what he’s done, then I for one hope Q gets traded to a team that can fully appreciate him.  I think then…and only then will we fully realize his importance to the team.