Boldin Wants Out of Arizona

by Tony | Aug 20, 2008 | Contract Squabbles, NFL News

Wide receiver Anquan Boldin, entering his sixth season in the NFL, has requested that the Arizona Cardinals trade him, due to his unhappiness with his current contract, and his claim that the team has reneged on on an offer to re-do the deal.

“At the beginning of camp, I hadn’t asked for a trade,” Boldin said. “As of recently, we did.”

Boldin reached 400 career receptions faster than any other player in NFL history, and has 5,458 yards and 29 touchdowns in his career.  He has three years left on a four-year, $22.75 million extension he signed after the 2005 season, which keeps him under contract until 2010.

Asked if he thought the situation could be resolved, Boldin answered “No.”

“If I’m not going to be treated fairly, if my hard work and loyalty isn’t going to be rewarded here, then let me go somewhere where it’s going to be rewarded. That’s how I feel,” Boldin said.

Because nothing says hard work and loyalty like whining about your contract to the press, and trying to cause a distraction for the team as it prepares for its third preseason game.  Still, he’s not worried that the situation will hurt his reputation with fans:

“Anybody that knows me, that knows what kind of guy I am, they know I’m a hard worker,” he said. “I’m a guy that does the right things, on and off the field. I’m not worried about my reputation being tarnished for me telling the truth.”

Because, you know, fans have a long history of being more loyal to a player who wants to leave their city over the team that is less likely to leave.

We’ll give Boldin some credit–he’s not being as big of a douchebag so far as some of Drew Rosenhaus clients–but that might just be because Rosenhaus is too busy reminding TO how to stir things up in Dallas to fully devote attention to the lowly Cardinals.

But you signed the extension in 2005, and you have three years left on it–if you couldn’t get the renegotiation of the deal based on your performance in writing, then you shouldn’t have signed a deal if you knew you could out-play it.  Especially with a team as notorious for being cheap as the Cardinals.

Now you’re a co-number one receiver with a guy with a much bigger contract (despite inferior career numbers), and you’re causing a distraction for your team and asking to be traded–despite the fact that going to a new team would likely hurt your numbers this season, and hurt your long term value.

Shut up, play football, and maybe you’ll get lucky enough to get something done–contract or trade–at the end of the season, when it would be in everyone’s best interest.