Where will Cards’ Boldin land?
Now that the Arizona Cardinals have officially said they will listen to offers for star wide receiver Anquan Boldin, most everyone expects Boldin to be dealt before next weekend’s NFL draft.
Of course, Arizona wants to keep the Pro Bowler, even saying it still hoped to work out a contract. But the Cards can’t really afford to give Boldin what he wants and tie up $20 million-plus at receiver between he and Larry Fitzgerald, who is the clear star of that team.
Logic says that Arizona will demand what the Detroit Lions got from the Dallas Cowboys in last season’s Roy Williams trade, which was first-, third- and sixth-round draft picks. Boldin is way better than Williams and is in the prime of his career. But any team that gets him will have to fork over the $10 million or so per year that he wants.
Now, there are 29 other teams who would love to have Boldin, but in reality there are only a few who would surrender the picks (or have them to surrender) and extend his contract.
Here are those teams:
*-Philadelphia Eagles: This by far makes the most sense, as Donovan McNabb has been clamoring for a top receiver since Terrell Owens left. This Eagle nucleus probably only has another year or two left, and getting Boldin would put Philly among the NFC favorites after surprisingly reaching the NFC title game before losing to Boldin’s Cards last year.
And the Eagles seemed to have the ammunition with two first-round picks, but they dealt away their second one (No. 28) to Buffalo on Friday for Pro Bowl offensive tackle Jason Peters. Philly still has the No. 21 overall pick, so maybe that and third-rounder will be enough. But Peters also is going to demand a new deal, so is there enough money to go around? While some might say that the Eagles are going for it by getting Peters, they REALLY will be going for it if they get Boldin.
*-Dallas Cowboys: Without Terrell Owens, they desperately need a No. 1 receiver to go with Roy Williams, who is more suited to a No. 2 spot. Boldin would make Dallas the WagerWeb.com preseason favorite in the NFC.And Jerry Jones wouldn’t flinch at paying Boldin what he wants. But the Cowboys don’t have a No. 1 pick, so that probably rules them out.
*-New York Giants: This makes a ton of sense, as the G-Men lost Plaxico Burress. But they don’t seem to like to trade draft picks and appear to have their eyes on the Browns’ Braylon Edwards at less of a cost.
*-Washington Redskins: Yep, all four NFC East teams are in the hunt for Boldin. The Skins have the highest first-round pick of the three (No. 13) and owner Dan Snyder is not afraid to make a deal. But the Skins just drafted two receivers in the early rounds of last year’s draft and still have Santana Moss. They have bigger needs.
*-Baltimore Ravens: Boldin could be the missing piece for that offense, as he would give Joe Flacco a stellar target. But is the No. 26 pick in the first round too low for Arizona’s taste?
*-Miami Dolphins: This is where Boldin, a Florida native, wants to go. And the Fins really need a receiver. But it doesn’t seem like something Bill Parcells would do, does it?
Look for this to come down to a bidding war between the Ravens and Eagles, with the Iggles finally getting their hands on a No. 1 receiver.
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